Awake
by shewritesit18
Summary: It's been several weeks and Todd hasn't woken up - but Viola refuses to quit trying. Moments after Todd returns, and the remaining chaos that welcomes the pair shortly after.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: So this is my first time posting a story on here! I just recently read the Chaos Walking series and when I finished Monster's of Men I did not want it to end. Todd and Viola are so so so precious to me so this is my way of keeping the story going :) hope ya enjoy! open to any suggestions, too :) I also do not own this story or the characters. POV switches between Todd and Viola.

{Viola}

The tiny flicker of his Noise is becoming more and more frequent, now. Just as I was losing hope, just as I was about to give up, just as I'd convinced myself that I couldn't save him this time, he gives me another reason to keep trying. To have hope.

I pick up his mother's book in my right hand, grab one of his in my left, and continue reading.

The flickers aren't just mere memories, as they'd been for the past few weeks. Now, his Noise is searching, calling out to me, as I hear him saying, _Viola? Viola? Is that you?_ At the sound of my name I can only believe that he is beginning to wake up, that he hadn't gone too far after all. My heart is heavy and beating a thousand beats per minute, my chest feeling as if it is about to burst, and I keep looking back and forth between Todd's eyes and the words that are bringing him back to life.

Cmon Todd-

Come back to me-

Don't you leave me-

I continue to read as he continues to call for me, and as I'm nearing the end once more, he is saying _Keep calling for me, Viola. Cuz here I come._

And just like that, the words in his Noise disappear. I stop reading mid-sentence and stare at him, as still as a mountain, searching his face for any signs of life.

"Todd?" I whisper for the millionth time this week. But nothing. I begin to feel panic rising inside of me.

No-

We got so far-

He was this close-

(Todd?)

And just before I give in to a fit of tears, full of disbelief and defeat, I watch Todd's chest rise and fall at a quicker pace. He gives my hand the tiniest squeeze.

This is it.

"Todd? Are you there?" I say, moving my face closer to his.

Still, no words in his Noise, but it is full of a bright yellow color, mixed with emotions of determination and willingness. The color just gets brighter and brighter, his chest rising and falling, his hand squeezing mine harder and harder and my eyes are filling with tears and my heartbeat has quickened and I even drop his mothers book to the floor because it is actually happening, my Todd has done it, he is waking up...

And just like that-

After two and a half weeks-

Todd Hewitt-

Blinks.

"Todd!" I call out in a whisper scream, as if it was the only word I knew. His eyes are low and heavy, only half opened, but he is slowly turning his head towards me, which is how I know he's awake.

And in a very low, raspy, tired voice, he finally says back to me, "Viola."

I'm full on crying now, letting go of his hand and nearly throwing myself on top of his chest, soaking him in tears. I hold him that way for what feels like forever, and as Todd weakly places his hand on the back of my neck, holding me, I detect a soft smile on his face through his Noise.

"You came back for me." He whispers in my ear, and I lift myself up just inches above his face to get a real look at him.

"That's what we do. We save each other. Always." I say, tears rolling down my face. Todd wipes my cheeks with his thumb while caressing my face in the palm of his hand.


	2. Chapter 2

[Todd]

My Noise buzzes with a calming hum when I see Viola as soon as I wake up. At first I'm confused, unsure of where I'm at, about wut happened, until I see her in tears, and her silence presses into me, and soon I remember how much she means to me, how much she loves me.

How much I love her.

"How long was I gone?" I say, moving my hand from her cheek to grab her hand. She's shaking.

"Two effing weeks, Todd. Too ruddy long." She says, and I laugh a little when she says "ruddy."

"I didn't leave your side for one second. At first I really thought you were gone, until Ben convinced me that you were still alive. That as long as you remembered who you were, you'd come back." She pauses for a moment, squeezing my hand to keep from crying again.

I have to remind myself who Ben is, until my Noise is full of a bright pink color and I see his smiling face clearly in it.

"Where is he?" I ask, eager to see him. Where am I, even? I attempt to lift myself into a seated posyshun but as soon as I do I feel myself get dizzy. Viola knows I plan to do this before I even do it and she shakes her head, gesturin' for me to lay back down. I do.

"Slow down Todd. You need to get your rest." She says. She gets up from her chair and goes into the corner of the tent-is this a tent?-and grabs me a cup of water. She helps me take a sip and then decides to answer my questyshuns.

"Ben has gone to welcome the new settlers. The ship landed yesterday. We're in a spackle community right now." She says to me, softly.

It takes me a second to remember what all of this means, and Viola can read in my Noise that I'm a bit confused. But in an instant, it all comes back to me. The war, the mayor, the arrival of the new settlers, 1017...

"Why haven't you gone to greet the new settlers?" I ask her.

"There were more important things I needed to give my attention to. Like you waking up. Ben and Bradley can handle the settlers on their own." She tells me. I give her a soft smile and she returns one back.

"And what about 1017? Where is he?" I say. Her smile goes away instantly.

"He's been hovering around the tent, asking how you're doing. I won't let him in though. Not after what he's done to you." even though I can't read anything from her, I know she's full of anger and frustrayshun.

I lift my head toward the ceiling and think about 1017. On any regular day, I'd be fuming at what he's done to Viola and I. After everything we did to make things better for him, he just kept on attacking us. And I don't blame viola, he ain't in no place for forgiveness. But then I remember why he was doing it- to protect the ones he loved. I glance over at Viola and think about how easily I'd kill for her too.

"That doesn't give him an excuse and you know it." Viola says, reading my Noise. "You did not willingly kill his family. He knew what he was doing."

"He regrets it." I say.

"We regret a lot of things, Todd. But what he did to you was unacceptable." She responds.

"What if everyone saw me that way, huh? I killed a spackle with my very own hands. For no reason at all." I say, more so asking than telling. Wanting her to tell me I was wrong. But was I just as bad as 1017? Did I deserve what happened to me?

"No. Do not for a second think that way Todd." Viola is now inches away from my face, her eyes searching mine.

"You made a mistake. You didn't know that the spackle were harmless. That wasn't your fault."

I'm looking into her eyes, still not convinced. She keeps going on anyways.

"But 1017 saw you working to help him and the other spackle. You helped him out when you didn't have to, when you could have easily killed him. You did not deserve what he did to you."

For a moment I believe her, but I still don't feel too right about it.

"And you wouldn't be Todd if you didn't." She reads my Noise again.


	3. Chapter 3

{Viola}

I decide to table the conversation about the settlers and the Spackle so that Todd can get some rest. We got some food in his system-he'd lost a significant amount of weight from not eating in a while-and now he was falling in and out of sleep. I laid there next to him, holding on to his hand tightly, and watched him closely as I was afraid that he'd slip back into a coma. But he kept telling me through his Noise, "Don't worry, Viola. I ain't going nowhere. Plus, it's rude to stare when someone is sleeping."

I laugh at this, tears welling up in my eyes.

I'm so happy to have him back.

While Todd is resting, I decide to take out my comm and call Ben. I told him earlier that Todd was awake, though I asked if he could keep it a secret for a few more hours. Todd needed to rest, not have all the attention brought on him. Plus, I was being selfish. I wanted some alone time with him.

For months, Todd and I have fought for ourselves, each other, and the fate of the people on this planet. I'm so tired of fighting and struggling, and for once I just wanted some peace and quiet with the one person I cared about the most. With the hospitality and privacy of the Spackle community, I planned to take full advantage of being in this new world in peace.

Plus, there were so many things about Todd that I didn't know. As I was reading to him, he showed me parts of his life through his Noise that he'd never told me about. Not that we had much time for small talk in the middle of saving this planet. But still, there are things I'd like to learn about him, despite how well I knew him already. And things I'd like to share about myself, too.

I feel myself drifting off to sleep next to Todd when, just before he opens the tent doors, I hear Ben's Noise approaching us. Todd hears it too as he's beginning to raise off of the bed, an excited and joyous pink color swirling around in his Noise. Ben finally steps in, and when they see each other, their Noise is so happy it could possibly burst.

"Yer here!" Todd says, opening his arms out wide for Ben who embraces him in a huge hug.

_**I knew you would come back to us.**_ Ben says through his Noise. They both are shivering, and crying, and my eyes well up with tears, too.

**_How are you feeling?_**He says, sitting down in the huge spackle chair next to the bed.

"I feel alright. Kind of weak, tired." Todd says.

**_What about your Noise? _**Ben asks. It was something I was wondering too. Would Todd be different? Would he still be able to silence his Noise, or maybe use it like Ben?

"Same as always. Not sure if I can still control people with it. But I ain't too much interested in doing that anymore, anyways." And by the tired look on his face, I can tell that he means it.

Just before he got hit by 1017, Todd said that he didn't want to end up like the Mayor, so in control of his Noise that it turns against him. Ben and I weren't sure if he'd still be able to do that once he woke up, or if he'd be more like Ben. Able to see and hear the thoughts of everyone, connecting to the language of the land and using it for good. Right now, it didn't seem like he could do either one. He was just regular old Todd.

I liked regular old Todd.

_**We won't worry about it too much right now. The important thing is that you're back**_. He says, patting Todd on the leg. Then he shifts his gaze to me.

___**The new settlers are more than ecstatic to be here.**_ _** They all want to see you, both of you.**_

My heart skips a beat at this news, and Todd's Noise shows that he is overjoyed. We both look at each other, an expression that feels like, finally. We did it.

"You told them that Todd is awake?" I say, concerned.

___**I did. Bradley and I wanted them to know that their heroes are alive and well. And if you're up for it, we can face them tomorrow morning. Just so they see the two bold faces who made this life possible for them.**_

Todd glances over at me, and the first thing I see in his Noise is a visual of us leaving the new settlers with Ben, starting a new life somewhere else. Ben sees this in his Noise too, and sighs.

___**I get it, Todd. You've been through a lot.**_

"I ain't no hero. I just wanted to make this world safe. Safe for me and you. And Viola." He says, looking at me. I grab his hand.

"I'd go with you. If you want me to." I say, a matter of fact.

"But... do you want to?" He asks me.

I want to say yes. But my mind hesitates.

Part of me wants to, for Todd. He's been through so much, being manipulated by the mayor and hated by the spackle and everything he gave up to keep me alive. I couldn't blame him for wanting to leave, and I wasn't going to let him do it without me. If he left, I would too.

But the other part of me felt that if Todd was giving me the option, I would stay. There are thousands of people here that are counting on us. We could ensure theirs and our safety because of our relationship with the Spackle. We'd also be protected due to our weapons and technology. And I couldn't bear the thought of leaving all of our loved ones behind. Mistress Lawson, Wilf, Bradley, Jane, Lee. All of the people who helped us get here.

He can't read any Noise but I know Todd is searching for an answer in me.


	4. Chapter 4

[Todd]

Viola don't answer my questshun.

But I know she wants to stay.

**_Why don't you two take some time to think it over? I'd hate to be the one to ruin the plan. But I'm the only direct way of communication from the people and the spackle. I have to stay for them._**

I understood what he was saying, but it was hard acceptin it. All I wanted was to be with Ben and Viola. Living in our own spot, doing our own things, and not being caught up in this chaos. A new dictator was bound to come from the new settlers, and I didn't want to have to deal with all the men and their frustrayshun with their new Noise.

But no matter how much I didn't want to believe it, Ben was right. He was the only one who knew how to communicate like the Spackle, and he was the only one they truly trusted with Noise. If Ben left, there would be no one to protect us. Or the Spackle.

And Viola. My Viola. She was the one the people looked up to the most. The true leader of us two. If she and Ben both left, who would be here to prevent another war? Who would make sure that peace remained? If we left, we'd probably find ourselves running again from a whole nother problem created by a whole nother crazy person.

I'm looking at Viola and I'm realizing we don't have another choice. She's reading this in my Noise, giving me a sad look, like she's disappointing me, and I shake my head as if to tell her don't worry about it.

She leads, I follow-

Because she saved me-

And she didn't have to-

But that's what we do-

We have each other's backs-

So now, I've got hers.

"You gotta stay Viola. They need you. Which means I gotta stay, too. Because I need you." I tell her.

"And I ruddy well need you too, Todd Hewitt." She says, smiling that smile. Bens Noise is all touchy and lovey. So is mine.

**_Glad you both are on the same page. His Noise says. Are you up to riding out to the town tomorrow morning? Give them a welcome speech?_**

Before I can answer, Viola interjects. "He just woke up. The settlers can wait a while longer, and I'm sure there is plenty they can do in the meantime."

_You're right._ Ben is saying. He thinks for a moment. _**Well, why don't you address them, Viola? Just something short and simple. It would be nice for them to hear from one of their leaders during their first few days here. So we seem organized. Like we care.**_

"I'm not leaving Todd." She says, scooting a little closer to me.

"No, Viola. You shud go." I say, not actually wanting her to leave but seeing the sense in her doing it. If none of us spoke to the new settlers soon, it wud seem suspishus.

"Todd you just woke up! I am not leaving you, not never ag-"

"They need you, Viola. They gotta know we're really on their side." I say. Plus, we've gone longer without seeing each other. A few hours wasn't gonna hurt.

"Yeah, and we all know what happens when we only go a few hours away from each other. Something ends up happening." Her voice is all hard and her body is tight and serious. This whole thing has really had an affect on her.

"I'll be alright Viola. I ain't going now where, I can't even barely get up. And I've got plenty of people here to watch over me."

She's looking twixt me to Ben, deciding if this is a good idea or not.

"Fine. I'll do it." She says, finally. "But only if Mistress Lawson is tending to him and 1017 stays out of this tent. Or else we'll have another war on our hands, I swear to God." I laugh at her seriousness, which causes her to swat me on the shoulder. Ben just smiles.

That won't be a problem, Viola. Todd'll probably be in good enough condition to come back with us soon, anyways.

I hesitate at the idea of going back, not knowing how people would see me, if they would accept me for who I actually am or still see me as the mayor's son. Most of those people saw me at his side the whole war, and probably didn't trust me one bit. Viola was the only reason I wasn't blown to bits by the Answer or left behind by her friends on the scout ship-

"Don't effing worry about them Todd. I'll handle that." She says. And I believe her.

If Viola was with me, I would be fine, I could do anything.

_**It's settled then. We'll leave first thing in the morning and be out as soon as possible. Might want to start thinking about what you want to say, Viola.**_

You can tell she's seriously thinking about this cause her eyes have traveled to the floor and she's biting her lip and if she had Noise I'd say she was a bit nervous. Her concentrayshun is broken, however, when we all detect a Noise that is moving outside the tent. It's full of regret, guilt, and seeking forgiveness...

It's 1017.


	5. Chapter 5

{Viola}

He's seconds away from opening the tent, but I've already flown out of the bed and to the outside before he steps in.

"Don't you dare!" I scream, my finger pointed right at him. There are one, maybe two, other Spackle gathered around, watching the scene. The rest have probably gone off to greet the new settlers.

___**I was only trying to properly apologize to the Knife himself. I can't bare the fact that this has happened any longer...**_

"No!" I interrupt. "You don't get to apologize. You live with it, with what you've done. Todd and I have both done things we regret, that we cannot fix." I say, tears coming up in my eyes as I think about Maddy, a girl I once got killed. And Corinne, who had no choice but to save me. And Simone, who Todd could not save.

And the many, many others.

"We have to live with it and so do you." I tell him. His hands are up in defense, and his Noise is genuinely concerned. But I don't care. As much as I wanted peace, I couldn't trust 1017. As long as he kept his distance from Todd, everything would be fine.

I hear Ben's Noise behind me, fear rising up.

******_Viola! You want to avoid hostility, we have just established peace._** Ben reminds me.

I look down at my shaking hands, realizing that in the last couple of weeks I really had gone over the edge. But with Todd being gone, without knowing if he was going to come back, I couldn't help it. I was restless, angry, and scared for Todd. I could not lose him again.

"Please, just leave him alone. Please." I say, walking back in the tent. Ben apologizes for me through his Noise and stays to speak with the now curious crowd of Spackle. I don't care to read 1017's response.

"Are yer alright?" Todd asks, concern in his Noise.

I smile shyly, sitting next to him in the bed. "Yes. I just... need some rest. It's been a long couple of weeks."

Todd is lifting the covers up and over me as I settle in beside him. He's staring at me for a long time, all kinds of emotions in his Noise. Worry, concern.

"Seriously, I'm okay." I say.

"I believe you. But I think this whole war has had an affect on you too."

"It did on us all. Especially you. You died."

"You nearly carried the whole damn town yer own back."

"You died."

Todd doesn't continue to argue with me. Instead, he brushes a stray hair out of my eyes and tucks it behind my ear. In this moment, I'm feeling the happiest I've been in weeks. Months. Hell, ever since I got here.

"I just don't want all of what happened to get twixt you and me. I want us to just be... happy." He says.

"I am happy. You came back." I say.

"Yeah, but yer still mad at 1017. Yer still shaking like you just got out of battle. I can read you, Viola, even though you don't got no Noise. I just need to know that yer going to be okay."

My eyes wander away from his.

I was okay-

Right?-

"It's just because I spent the last two weeks thinking you were dead. It was the hardest most painful thing I've had to do." I say, schooching closer to him. He's warm, body and Noise.

Todd doesn't push the issue further, just says, "I believe you. But if it starts to get to yer head, you gotta tell me."

"I will." I say to him, his warmth lulling me to sleep as I listen to his voice say over and over again, Viola, Viola, Viola.


	6. Chapter 6

[Todd]

I feel a hole in my chest, other than the one I already got, when Viola gets up the next morning to head to the settlement. She's sitting in the huge Spackle chair, eating her breakfast, and I'm just watching her. Watching and watching and watching her.

"You know it's rude to stare at people when they eat." She says without looking up at me. I know she's smiling though.

"You know what yer going to say to em?" I ask her. What I really want to say is that I was going to miss her. Even though it was only for a few hours.

"I don't know yet. I'm sure I'll know what to say when I get there." She's looking down at the floor. Nervous, I can tell.

"You will."

Just as Viola gets out of her seat, I sense Ben's Noise. I can also detect another, kind of fuzzy and unfamiliar, until they get closer and I realize it's Bradley. I can also hear Mistress Lawson running her mouth in the background.

Ben opens the curtains to the tent and Bradley steps in, huge smile on his face.

"Would you look at that." He says, coming over to give me a hug. "It's good to see you alive and well Todd." And from the look of his Noise I know he means it.

"Likewise, Bradley. Thank yer for everything." He nods at me, then Mistress Lawson steps up.

"My oh my, you're really awake. You and Viola are truly fighters." She says. She places a medical equipment bag on the beside table, pulling out stethoscopes and all kinds of other stuff. She can tell that my Noise is worried, but she assures me that it's fine.

"Just going to give you a check up. Make sure you're actually okay." She winks at me and I nod. It's weird, being treated with all this kindness after being manipulated all that time. Misunderstood for so long. I don't really know how to act.

_**We'll be back for you as soon as possible, Todd.**_ Ben says to me. **_Viola, are you ready?_**

Mistress Lawson is standing in front of me, so I can't see Viola's face. When she moves outta the way to go get some more supplies, I see Viola standing up. Still shaking.

"Ready." Is all she says.

___**Great. We'll be in the scout ship**_. He says, and he and Bradley make their way out.

"Don't be nervous." I say to her as she's walking towards me.

"I just want to be convincing enough for them to trust us. So this whole thing can really be over with." She crosses her arms in front of her chest.

"What are yer afraid of? The wars been won. The battles over. We're okay." I say, but a small part of me is worried too. Because it ain't possible for things to be that perfect. She sees it in my Noise, but doesn't say anything about it.

I reach out for her hand and we interlock our fingers, palms against each other, like we always do when saying goodbye.

"Good luck." I tell her, smiling a little. But then she's holding my gaze for a moment and leaning in and my Noise starts to rile up some more-

And she kisses me.

It only lasts a second. Maybe even less. And she's looking all flustered when she stands back up.

"So we're doin that now?" I say, smiling the most I have since being awake. Probably my whole life, even. She just smiles and shrugs her shoulders.

"See you soon Todd." She says, letting go of my hand, and as she's leaving I'm just watching her and watching her and my Noise keeps saying Viola, Viola, Viola.


	7. Chapter 7

{Viola}

I'm sitting in the healing room of the scout ship when I hear Bradley's noise coming up the hallway. By the sound of it, I know I'm in trouble.

"I already know what you're going to say." I say to him as the double doors open and close. I could hear their Noise, Ben and Bradley's, all the way at the front of the ship, bickering over who was going to talk to me about my incident with 1017 first.

And I really wasn't in the mood to hear it-

"Hear me out, Vi." He says, a stern but soft feeling coming from his Noise. He sits on the bed adjacent to the one I'm sitting on and I'm forced to look up at his face.

"I understand how hurt you were when Todd got hit-" he begins, and I stop him there.

"Do you?" I tell him, annoyed and ready to defend Todd. But I instantly regret saying it.

Because Simone-

He'd lost Simone-

Shit.

"Yes. I do actually." His Noise is entirely filled with hurt. "And I could blame a number of people for what happened to her. But the reason I don't is because there is nothing I can do about it. I make the choice to live without being full of rage or vengeance because what good would that do for me? Is that going to make Simone come back?" He hesitates a little, just saying her name, and I can see that she's all over his Noise. **_What I would give to bring her back, Simone, Simone, Simone. _**

****"I'm sorry, Bradley, I shouldn't of said that..." but he cuts me off, pushing himself off the bed and standing in front of me.

"Your feelings are justified but your actions are not, Viola. You can be upset about those two weeks that Todd was dead, but for how long? And at what expense? Do you really want to jeopardize what you and Todd worked so hard for over something you can't change?" He's staring down at me now, wondering if his message is coming across. I just shift my gaze to the floor.

"We've already won the fight Bradley. What could me yelling at 1017 really do to jeopardize that?"

He looks at me, stunned, as if I should already know the answer to that.

"Ben said there were a few Spackle outside the tent who saw the incident. They weren't upset, but it was enough to cause concern. If you're going to be one of the faces of change in this settlement, of this planet even, you've got to be careful of what you do and say." He's almost pleading for me to understand.

And I do-

But-

"I just can't lose him again." I say, meekly. "He means everything to me."

Bradley sits down beside me, his Noise soft and understanding now. He places a hand on my shoulder.

"You won't, I promise." He says. But how could he promise such a thing, in a world where, inevitably, things will always go wrong?

"You also can't let this get to your head. I don't want to see you run yourself into the ground, full of anger, trying to protect Todd. These are better days, and you need to be present for them." He lightly taps my forehead, staring straight into my eyes.

And he was right-

I was extremely wound up-

So worried about Todd-

That I'd lost sight of what was important-

Keeping peace-

And if I could do that. We'd all stay safe.

"You're right, Bradley. I'll try to work on it." I say, wanting to mean it.

"I'm proud of you." He says, giving me a hug. "Now do you know what you're going to say to them?"

I hadn't thought of that since we left the Spackle community. I wasn't sure of what I was going to say- my speeches in the past were all fueled by passion and determination and were in the moment.

But what was I supposed to say... as a leader?

Bradley is still waiting for me to respond, but we are both drawn from our conversation to Ben's Noise, which is filling the entire ship. It's full of pride, hope, happiness.

I'm seeing this a lot more in people's Noise these days.

"He must be overseeing the settlers. Let's go look." Bradley says, gesturing for me to follow him in the hallway of the ship.

I slide off of the bed, walking into the hallway and over to the huge windows. Bradley and I stand side by side, staring out into the clouds, and there it is.

There it actually is.

"Beautiful, huh?" Ben says, his Noise filling the room.

But it was even more than that-

It was unimaginable-

It was indescribable-

It was a miracle.

Thousands upon thousands of settlers filled the earth below us, walking amongst each other in awe of their new home. I would never be able to put into words the joy I felt, knowing that we saved this planet in just enough time, to give these people a place to call home. So the ones who were already here could finally feel at home. So I could feel at home. And Todd. And everyone else who fought to make it happen.

"Yes." I say to Bradley.

He turns, his Noise confused.

"Yes what?"

I turn to look at him, feeling a little braver and a little more sure of myself than I did this morning.

"I know what I'm going to say."


	8. Chapter 8

[Todd]

Mistress Lawson re-wrapped the bandages on my chest and forced me to eat even though I wasn't hungry. We also did a little walking around the tent, trying to get me used to being on my feet again. I even asked her if I could go outside, get some fresh air, a change in scenery, but she said no. I still needed my rest.

But I knew that wasn't true.

Viola put her up to it.

couldn't too much complain, though. Some of the Spackle from the community were coming over, bringing me lots of bread and water and asking me if there was anything I needed. I say no thank you, only because I felt weird, being treated like this.

I didn't deserve it at all-

I wasn't a hero-

But everyone kept on insisting that I was.

"Get used to it, Todd. Now that you're on the council, people will be looking up to you. For good reason of course." Mistress Lawson says. Her speaking of the council reminds me of Viola's speech, which she must be getting ready to do.

"Are there probes set up in town? Where we can see her speech?" I ask. Mistress Lawson just smiles.

"Indeed there is. Ben knew that you'd want to see her up there. We all wish you could be there, too." Mistress Lawson pulls out a comm device, clicking a few buttons to pull up the 3D screen.

And while I sit there, in the Spackle made bed, I'm wondering how I'd look and sound and feel being up there. Being a leader. It don't seem right for me at all.

"I don't want to be no leader. We've all gotten in enough trouble because of me."

"And we've all been saved because of you, too. Viola as well."

"She's the real leader of us two." I say. If it were up to me, she and I wouldn't stay at all. But the people need her-

I need her-

So staying it is.

"It won't be as bad as you think." Mistress Lawson says, still fiddling with the comm, swearing under her breath. She obviously hasn't learned to work with the new technology yet.

"You watch it." She says strictly, reading my Noise, but finally getting the screen up.

And I couldn't believe my eyes.

There are what seems like a million people gathered in what was Haven, er New Prentisstown, er whatever they decided to call it next. There were more men and women and children on the screen that I'd seen in my entire life, all happy and smiling and excited to be here.

Makes all that running and fighting seem worth it, now.

The settlers are all circling around the podium, which sits in front of the scout ship that just landed. The front door opens and the ramp comes down as Ben, Bradley, and Viola walk out into the open to greet the crowd. Some people are clapping, others just standing there, curious. My heart clenches and a knot is in my throat.

You can do it, Viola.

My Viola.

Viola, Viola, Viola.

First thing that happens is that Ben speaks into the microphone. It's weird, seeing him up in front of all those people, being a leader. He was always the quiet, most modest guy in new Prentisstown. Now he's got a following.

"Hello, my fellow neighbors." He says with his mouth, not his Noise. "It is with great pleasure that I announce to you one of the members of this council, a huge part of the freedom that you all obtain, and someone I am proud to call a friend. Please welcome, Viola Eade." He says.

And she walks up-

Looking nervous-

But ready-

You can do this, Viola-

She steps up to the microphone and begins to speak.

"I was just like you all, once." She begins. "From another world and another way of life. It can be scary, and challenging, and unsettling. Trust me, I know." She says, and it takes me back to the beginning. When I first saw her in the swamp, when I cut her with my knife, when she wouldn't talk to me, when we'd always argue, when I saved her, and then she saved me, and then we kept on saving each other, and until now.

"But, despite all of that fear, I'm here to tell you that this planet is worth it." She says, real meaning to it.

"It is full of beautiful people, beautiful creatures, and a land that is abundant and bright. With Noise that may be, at times, chaotic, but also the most fulfilling thing in this world."

I look over at Mistress Lawson, who's got tears forming in her eyes. She whispers, "They'd all be so proud of her." And I know she means her parents. And Simone. And everyone else we lost to get here.

Viola continues, "If I'm being honest, I was ready to give up on this world. I was alone, and confused, and everything I cared about was taken away from me. But I met someone, someone who brought out the good in me. Brought out the brave in me. Someone who showed me that fighting for what you love is always worth it. Someone who is kind, so full of kindness it hurts. And because of him, I knew that fighting for, and saving, this very planet was worth it." And I could've sworn our eyes met at that very moment. As if she were talking directly to me.

"So with that being said, i want you all to know that this planet, from here on out, will be built on that kind of goodness. Where we are considerate and kind and fair. Where we forgive. Where we save. And where we love. Always."

And she steps back from behind the mic-

Takes a deep breath, like she does sometimes-

And the crowd erupts in cheers.

That's my girl.

My girl.

"She did such a wonderful job! How moving!" Mistress Lawson says, clapping her hands and tears coming down her face. I'm starting to laugh at her when I detect something,

And it's Noise-

Still full of guilt-

Now showing his face thru the tent doors-

1017.

Mistress Lawson immediately stops clappin and cheerin and her face goes blank. "You are not permitted to be in here." She says sternly to him. His Noise is nervous, asking himself if he should really be doing this.

But then he turns his gaze to me-

And I don't know what to say-

_**I just wanted a moment with the Knife... to properly apologize for what I've done.**_ He says it in her direction, but I can tell he's really askin me.

"C'mon in." I say. I'm hesitant and don't really know why I'm letting him in but it's happenin.

It's happenin.

"Todd." Mistress Lawson hisses at me while he's slowly stepping in. "That is not your decision to make."

And I think about Viola and how she wouldn't be too happy about it but how were we supposed to establish peace and practice forgiveness by shutting him out?

Mistress Lawson reads this in my Noise and takes a slow, deep breath in. "Fine. I'll be just outside." She says, walking out the tent but not before eyeing 1017 up and down.

Now it's just me and him-

Me and the spackle that killed me-

And I don't realize I've been holdin my breath until he sits down in the big spackle chair that he looks normal sitting in compared to us people.

_**There's nothing I can say to express how sorry I am.**_

He begins.

"I know yer sorry." I say, swallowing a lump in my throat.

___**What could I do to ever repay you?**_

I'm trying to think of all the things he could do to possibly make it better, but there ain't any. The worst part has been done and there ain't no going back from it.

But that's the point.

You forgive.

And your forget.

"Ain't nothing you can do to change what happened. Just as long as it don't never happen again." I say. He hangs his head down low, like what I said wasn't good enough.

_**My actions have caused me great pain in the time that you were unconscious. The way your companion mourned for you is exactly how I felt when I lost mine. I would never wish that kind of pain on someone else. Not after what you've done for us.**_

At first I don't believe him. He tried every chance he got to hurt me and Viola, knowing good and well what we meant to each other.

But I also know that impossible times can really change a person. Make you do things you never thought yer capable of.

And suddenly my Noise is showing all the bad things I did... but didn't mean to. Like killing the first Spackle I ever saw in person. Like working for the mayor. Like leaving my dog, Manchee, behind.

And Viola was right. I ain't a bad person. The war just had an affect on me. Just like it did 1017. And if I'd lost her, just like he lost his, I'd kill for her too.

"Don't let it get to yer head. It was a mistake." I say. "And even if she don't forgive you... I do." I tell him. He looks up at me in disbelief.

_**I am eternally grateful for your forgiveness. I don't deserve it, after treating you so unkindly. **_

__I shake my head, understandin where he's coming from.

"Times are different now. Just try to find some peace."


	9. Chapter 9

{Viola}

**_Viola, that was great. _**Ben says through his Noise, walking up to embrace me. Bradley follows in suit, and were all having a group hug.

But I'm still shaking.

"I just hope it was convincing enough." I say, walking back up the ramp and into the scout ship. We go over to the control area and I sit in the drivers seat. Bradley hands me a water bottle and I drink from it like I hadn't had any in weeks.

"Don't worry about that at all. They loved it. You've done more for them than you know, Vi." He says, a hand on my shoulder. His Noise is all proud. Like a dad would be.

"I hope so. But as much as I'd like to stay, we've got to get back to Todd. Make sure he's okay." I say.

Neither one of them starts the ship, however, and we're interrupted by a knock on the door of the scout ship. Bradley and Ben both look at each other, a smile on their faces, but their Noise reveals the entire surprise. And I raise up from the chair, almost running towards the entrance, as I hear Lee and Wilf's Nosie from the other side.

They're here.

They're all still here.

The scout ship opens and Lee is standing up front, blind fold tied around his face, and he's reaching out for me, saying **_Viola? Where are you? _**

"Lee!" I exclaim, pulling him towards me. I hadn't seen Lee at all in the weeks that Todd was unconscious, as he'd been working to fix up the settlement while I worked to bring Todd back. I'd almost forgotten how important he, as well as the others, were to me.

"I can't believe you're here right now." He says into my hair. His Noise reveals the moment I told him I was leaving with Todd, how disappointed he was about it.

"Me neither." I tell him. I pull back and see Wilf behind him, a smile stretched across his face.

"Well wasn't dat speech sumthin'?" He says to me, and I'm on the verge of tears. I walk over and brace him in a hug, too.

"Couldn't of done it without you, Wilf." I tell him. I'm imagining all of the things that Wilf has done for me and Todd, all of what he sacrificed for us. If this town was ever going to thrive, it would truly be because of Wilf.

"Ya couldn't uh done it without me neither, I reckon." Says a familiar voice, and I almost don't believe what I hear.

It couldn't of been-

There's no way-

It would be impossible-

But I'm letting go of Wilf and staring through the entrance and at the same time I'm hearing the Noise of all the men behind me, revealing to me who it is, and I'm sprinting into her arms and crying all at the same time because I can't believe, I can't believe it, it's really her...

"Hildy!" I screech in disbelief.

"Ma Viola." She says as I collide into her. "I just knew you was sumthin special."

"How the hell are you alive?" I say between tears.

She pushes my shoulders back and looks me in the eyes. "You uh all people know good and well Hildy don't mess around." And she winks at me.

"But, but Farbranch was attacked? Nearly everyone died? You couldn't of taken on that army alone?"

She looks down at the ground as I say this, kicking the bottom of her boot on the tile.

"I wouldn't alone." And then she looks up at me, her eyes showing an emotion I knew all too well.

A loss-

Of someone you love-

Tam.

"Oh Hildy." I tell her, but she shakes her head no, refusing to be pitied.

"Ain't nothin I can do about it. That man meant everything en more ta me. But things like dat happen when yer fightin for what's right." She tells me, a matter of fact. She reaches down and grabs my hand, holding it tight but lovingly.

"I know you must feel the same way bout yer Todd. Y'all was an interestin pair, but it was sumthin special, I cud tell."

I smile, thinking about the little time Todd and I spent with Hildy and Tam. I could hardly stand his Noise and he could hardly stand the lack of mine but for some reason we stuck by each other. Then, now, and always.

"Hildy.. Todd is alive." I say to her quietly, and her face lights up.

"Well ain't that sumthin. Where is he? I gotta see what kinda man he turned out ta be, huh?" I nod.

"He's grown so much Hildy. He's been through a lot... we both have. He'll be thrilled to see you though." I tell her the truth.

"I cud only imagine." She says. "Now yer goin ta introduce me to yer friends or wut?" She asks and I turn around. Lee, Wilf, Ben, and Bradley are all staring at us, their Noise trying to understand our conversation.

"You had to be there." I say to them jokingly. But then I turn back to Hidly, a question forming in my own head...

None of them knew Hildy-

And Farbranch was so far away from here-

"What _are_ you doing here, Hildy?"

She takes a deep breath in and looks to the floor, to Ben, then back at me before answering.

"After the attack in Farbranch, wasn't nobody lef but me an Matthew an a lil girl named Laura, prolly round yer age." I wince a little, hearing his name. Matthew was another man out to get Todd and me. Another man Todd protected me from, too.

"We fought for as long as we cud, but we started to reckernize that it wouldn't gone be won by us. So, we lef." She's got hurt and shame written all over her face.

"From there, we fled in the opposite direcshun uh you and Todd. Down the river. We found a Spackle community an stayed there, jus tryna buy some time, until rumor got round that Haven was taken over by a new dictator an another war was on the horizon."

"So when the Spackle lef, we hid out in the trees, but not too far from all the chaos. We saw everything, Viola. Waitin to see wut wud happen. But now, we're here. Here to start over."

I stare into her eyes, trying to see if this is the truth. Of course, Hildy wouldn't lie to me, and I trusted her even after all the time we'd been apart.

But it was Matthew Lyle I was worried about the most.

And this random girl... Laura was her name?

"Where are Matthew and the girl?" I ask, arms crossed.

"They're right outside, down in da crowd. I figured I'd come speak wit cha first, especially after everything that happened with Matthew an Todd." She's hesitant when she says this. "But he's insisted that he's changed."

I nod, trying not to show how hesitant I was to invite Matthew in.

Because like I said.

I wasn't losing Todd again.

"Of course you and Francia are welcome to stay. You two saved our lives." I tell her. "And Matthew..." I don't know what to say but she finishes my sentence for me.

"We'll keep an extra special eye on em." She says with a wink.

I don't know-

Is this a good idea?-

I just try to trust her.

I look back at the men behind me, their Noise still curious.

"Could you give us a minute Hildy?" She's more than understanding.

"Of course, I best be gettin back to em anyways." She tells me. She's starting to walk out but I pull her in for one more hug.

"Thank you for coming." She doesn't have Noise but I can tell she's smiling as she squeezes me tight. Like a mother would.

Once she's gone, Ben speaks first, **_I know you're suspicious, Viola. But she's telling the truth. _**

"I know _Hildy _is. But what about Mathew? He tried to kill Todd, too."

Ben shakes his head in agreement. **_I know, I know. But I saw it in his Noise. He regrets what he's done and is seeking a second chance. And you know we cannot turn him away. _**

I try my hardest not to roll my eyes. But all I hear about these says is regret regret and more regret.

"Viola, why don't we show them hospitality until further notice? Until there is a reason that we shouldn't?" Bradley says.

But I'm still not so sure.

Ben and Bradley both look over at Lee, their Noise asking for his support in their argument.

"I trust Viola. Whatever she says goes." I give him a small smile, appreciating his support, then I finally answer their question.

"Alright, Alright. That's what this new world is all about, I guess." But even though I gave a whole speech about fairness and forgiveness there's still a tiny part of me that's worried.

Oh Todd-

I hope I can still keep you safe-

"Great." Bradley says, clapping his hands together. "Then lets get down to official business. How are we going to run this place?"


	10. Chapter 10

[Todd]

1017 left after our conversation, and Mistress Lawson comes back in fuming at me.

"This was not apart of the agreement Todd. What am I supposed to say when Viola asks me what happened here?" She says, putting away the medical equipment in a hurry.

"Don't worry about it. I'll tell her." I say from the bed. She ain't gonna be too happy about it, but we've gotten over plenty of arguments before.

"Well you better get ready to, it looks like they've returned." Mistress Lawson says, and my Noise rattles with excitement as we hear the scout ship approaching the community.

"I'm going out there." I tell her, shifting my weight off the bed and standing up. I wince, my body still in pain.

"Todd, you need to rest-" She says but I stop her.

"I'm fine, really." Not really. I actually cud use a little more rest, but I was tired of laying around, getting special treatment, when I didn't deserve it.

Mistress Lawson doesn't try to stop me, rather she helps me walk out the tent and towards the scout ship that just landed. The sun is shining so bright and even though it's still chilly it feels amazin to be outside.

It's been a long time since I felt this way-

And I think-

Finally.

"They must've brought the others with them." She says as we detect extra Noise in the ship, all fussing and fighting with each other.

The ramp is let down from the scout ship and Viola is the first one to walk out. She's strutting down the ramp really fast, a stern look on her face, but she smiles that smile when she sees me standing in front of her.

"Viola Eade." I say to her. She opens her arms out and I step into her embrace, her silence pressing into me.

"You were incredible." I say into her hair.

"I was so nervous. I could barely breathe." She says, stepping back.

"You cud hardly tell." I say to her. "You're gonna make a great leader for them."

Her eyes cut to the ground when I say "leader," and then she responds.

"I'm not too sure about that."

Just as she says it, Bradley, Ben, and Lee walk off the scout ship, all bickering with one another. They meet us at the bottom, still arguing.

"Would you guys please hush for two seconds!" Viola yells at them. She's standing next to me now with her arms crossed. Our shoulders are touching.

Lee kinda turns his face to me. "It's nice to see you alive, Todd." He says to me. I stick out my hand and shake his.

"Thanks." I say. "What's all the fuss about?"

Bradley and Ben both start to talk at the same time, stop and look to each other, then Bradley shakes his head to let Ben speak first.

**_We're trying to come to a consensus on how the council will work. _**

"A democratic system would be best." Bradley interjects.

**_Which we all agree with._** Ben adds.

"So what's the problem, then?" I say, confused. I look to Viola to see if her face will give me any hints, but she still looks annoyed.

Ben decides to speak first, **_We need to establish a law, and rights. But who establishes them and what they'll be is still up in the air. _**

Bradley immediately starts speaking, "I suggest we leave it to the settlers, at least get their point of view. The only way we can run this as a democracy is if we let the settlers have a say." Bradley says.

**_And I do agree with that. _**Ben goes. **_But they have only been here for two days. While they're fascinated by New World they're not used to their Noise yet. They also don't know the history of this planet, either. I don't think we should give them full authority just yet... at least not until they understand what this place is and how to operate within it._**

Lee's Noise shows agreement with Ben. Bradley knows this and just shakes his head, feelin misunderstood. They all turn to me and Viola, like we have the magic answer. I just shrug my shoulders.

"What exactly _did _you get done while I was gone?" I say. This gets a little laugh from Viola.

"We barely had this place cleaned up before the ships arrived. There wasn't much time to figure that out." Bradley says. "What do you guys think?"

Viola and I look at each other but don't say anything, just search for answers in each other. I was going to agree with whatever she said, and vice versa.

Where she goes, I follow-

And in this moment I'm sensing a little jealousy in Lee's Noise.

"I'm with Ben on this one." Lee says. We turn to him. "Your hearts in the right place Bradley. But we don't know the intentions of these people. We gotta establish order first."

Bradley looks upset. "But this isn't a dictatorship. The people need to feel like they are being heard, not ordered around."

**_They won't. _**Ben says. **_But no order at all can lead to chaos. _**

Mistress Lawson makes a noise, "mmmhmm."

And suddenly I'm wishing I woulda stayed in the tent.

"You're both right." Viola finally speaks. "Obviously the settlers get a say in how their life is ran. But we gotta establish some ground rules."

"We also need their assistance in actually building a new settlement. Our food and water supply on the ships will only last so long." Bradley says.

**_Exactly. I say we break up the settlers into groups and we work on building a new settlement that way. And in that time frame, we can teach them how to use their Noise and co-exist with the Spackle. _**

Everyone shakes their heads like it's a good idea. I'm just surprised at how leader-like Ben is actin.

"And of course, we're open to any and all concerns they may have." Bradley says.

Ben shakes his head, agreeing. **_Yes, of course. We just have to be careful. This group knows this planet the most. I think our best shot at protection is doing things the way we know best. _**

Bradley gives in to the argument, and everyone seems okay with the decision.

But I'm looking around the community, seeing two or three Spackle walking around, minding their business, and it reminds me of 1017.

"What about the Spackle?" I ask.

**_They'll live on the outskirts, just as they always have. But we'll always be there ally in times of need._**

I nod in agreement, but now Viola is reading my Noise, wondering why I even asked that.

Wondering why I was so worried about 1017.


	11. Chapter 11

{Viola}

Todd says he's feeling good enough to leave, but I'm not so sure.

"You and I can stay for longer, you know. The Spackle are so generous right now, and they don't need us to be in the settlement right at this second." I say.

Todd shakes his head no. He's sitting on a log in front of the campfire that Lee just made for us. I'm sitting beside him, our shoulders touching. Lee is off somewhere getting more fire wood.

"I'm tired of staying in that tent all day." He says. "And I'd feel too bad leaving Wilf and Jane to handle all the settlers alone."

I turn to look at the fire in front of us, just burning away. The sky is a dark purple color, the sun almost set.

"You know...Hildy showed up at the speech this morning." I say, stuffing my hands in my coat pockets.

Todd's Noise is blurred with confusion.

"Hildy's alive?" He says, shocked.

"I couldn't believe it either."

"What about Tam?"

My eyes fall to the ground, and Todd knows right away. He shakes his head in disbelief.

"We've lost so many people just to get to here."

We sit in silence for a minute, and then I'm looking at Todd, his Noise rattled with sadness, remembering everyone from our journey. I contemplate telling him about the others, until I just blurt it out.

"Francia is alive too. And... Matthew Lyle. They're all in the settlement."

Todd's Noise almost pauses for a moment. "Damn. I almost forgot about him." He says.

"Hildy swears that he's changed. But it's your call. Do you still want to go back if he's there?" I ask him, almost hoping he says no.

Todd looks at me. "If there's anyone we can trust, it's Hildy." But he's hesitant when he says it.

"Yeah." I say, not sure of myself either.

"Is that why you wanna stay here longer?" He asks.

"Why do you assume that?" Even though he's right.

Todd grins a little. "You want to stay in the Spackle community because I'm safe here, and it's nothing but a scout ship trip away from everyone else if we need to be there. Right in the middle of what you want." He says, a matter of fact.

I swallow before speaking.

"Todd...I can't lose you again. And I don't want us to get mixed up with more chaos again..."

"We'll be okay." Todd says to me.

"How do you know that?" I say, a little too forcefully.

Todd holds my gaze for a moment before speaking, "Because we've got more protection and we're on the council and the Spackle trust us again and because we got each other. If I've got you, Viola, I know I'm okay. Hell, you brought me back to _life. _It don't get no more okay than that." He says, and now I'm smiling.

And that's just it.

If Todd says we're okay.

Then we're okay.

I slip my arm through his and rest my head on his shoulder. His Noise gets all warm and loving and if I had one, it would be too.

"What's your favorite color?" I ask him.

"Huh?" He says.

"Your favorite color." I repeat.

"Why?" He asks. Typical Todd.

I lift my head off of his shoulder and give him a look.

"I'm trying to get to know you." I say. He laughs, but sounds confused.

"You do know me."

"Yeah. I _know _you. But not the little details." I tell him.

Todd looks to the fire, then back to me.

"I never really thought about that before."

"What?" I say to him. "You don't have a favorite color?"

He shakes his head no. "I guess it wouldn't that important to me back then."

I loop my arm back through his, feeling like I shouldn't of brought it up, until he says, "But if I'm choosin one, I'd say green. Reminds me of the trees and the earth and all that."

I smile.

"What's yours?" He asks.

"I like blue. Reminds me of the sky."

Todd's Noise shows that he's smiling.

"Got any more of those questions?" He asks.

I lift up once more, looking at him. "I've got plenty."

But I don't ask any. Instead, I focus on Todd's Noise, which reveals how beautiful I am to him, especially in the fire light, how much he wants my silence to press into him, how much he wishes I'd kiss him again,

And soon we're both leaning in-

Eyes slowly closing shut-

When we hear a loud thump of firewood not ten feet away.

It's Lee.

"Sorry guys. Just brining in the rest of the fire wood." He says. "I'm gonna call it a night."

He walks back up towards camp and disappears into the tent he's sharing with Bradley. He does a good job of hiding his Noise from us.

"If I'm not mistaken, Lee's got a thing for ya." Todd says.

I give him a look and try to sound as convincing as possible. "He does not!"

"Does to. I don't blame him though." Todd says, a small grin on his face.

Lee had never said he liked me. Or whatever you call it. We did have a few moments together, but that was only superficial. Infatuation. But Todd? Todd was everything. I cared about Lee, sure. But I needed Todd. Definitely.

"Leave it alone." I tell him. But he doesn't say anything back. Instead, he completely catches me off guard by placing his hand on my cheek, leaning in close, his Noise so warm it could burst, and for the first time ever,

Todd-

Kisses me.

He pulls back after a second or two. I know my face is flustered.

"Since we're doing that now." He says.


	12. Chapter 12

[Todd]

I'm all shaky being on the scout ship for the first time again. As much as I try to think about the new settlement and how much better life is gonna be, I keep imagin the mayor kidnapping me on this very same ship. And how he killed Ivan right in front of me. And how he bombed the town, the spackle communities, nearly killed Viola-

(shut-up)

I swallow a lump in my throat and try not to think about it.

"It's hard not to, though." Lee says, reading my Noise. He walks in from the double doors that lead into the healing room. I'm laying on a bed, by myself, while Viola is in the control room with Bradley and Ben.

She insisted that I keep on resting.

"Everything I saw and did during the war hasn't left my Noise." He says, sitting on the bed adjacent to mine. "And I don't think it ever will."

I look at him, not able to see the pain on his face but clearly in his Noise.

"How you been, since losing your sight?" I ask him, hoping it's not too insensitive.

Lee just shrugs his shoulders. "It's probably one of the hardest things I've ever gone through."

He senses pity in my Noise and quickly responds, "But the good thing is that, even with all the bad stuff that's permanent in my Noise, there's a lot of beautiful stuff still left, too." And his Noise shows fleeting images of a woman and a young girl, probably his mother and sister. And it shows what Haven used to be like, when it was peaceful. And all his old buddies.

And Viola.

My Noise flickers with the tiniest bit of jealousy, and I try my best to hide it, but Lee has already noticed.

"I'm sorry, Todd, it's not like that at all." He quickly defends and I shake my head, understandin.

"Yer fine." I tell him. And it was. Viola is special to a lot of people. It only makes sense.

"She is special." Lee thinks. "You two are really lucky to have each other."

Even tho I know he means well, my Noise is still rattling with all these emoshuns, like I didn't want him to talk about her in that way. I'm pressin them down as deep as I can, trying to avoid him reading me, when we're interrupted by Ben who's now walking into the room.

**_What's going on in here? _**Ben says casually. We both shake our heads as if saying nothin.

"We almost there?" Lee asks. Ben nods.

**_We'll be there soon. Viola really wanted to learn how to fly the scout ship, so Bradley is teaching her. _**

"That must be the hold up." Lee says jokingly. He gets up and heads to the control room. I move on the bed as if I were going to get up, but Ben stops me.

**_Can we talk for a sec?_** He asks.

"Sure." I tell him, curious.

**_I want you to consider learning the language of this land. The way I use it. _**He says.

I blink, kinda confused. "Why?"

Ben nods as if he knew I'd ask that. **_I think that if more people used their Noise this way, we'd have a better world. _**

I think on it, then say, "Last time I tired to manipulate my own Noise, it didn't work out too well." I remember the chant, I am the circle-

But then I stop-

I couldn't go there again-

**_This is different, Todd. It's like you can connect to everyone. Not just hear, but truly _****feel ****_and understand one another. _**

"Well, why're you askin me?"

**_Well, because you're on the council. So that'll benefit the people, to have one of their leaders be able to understand them. You're also a good natured person. I know you'd use it for good. And then you could teach other men, too. _**

I look from Ben to the ground, almost in shock.

"Ben, I'm not meant for no job like that. I hardly got a grasp on my own Noise...and I'm not no influential figure either. I'm just on the council to keep peace and-"

**_And because of Viola. _**He says, not even reading my Noise, just guessin.

"So that new Nosie of yers made you a ruddy fortune teller too?" I say, and Ben laughs.

**_I just know you, Todd. Look, I think what you and Viola have is great. But you gotta find things that _****you ****_care about too. _**

I think on this. I cared about things, lots of things. But nothing was more important or worthwhile to me-

Than Viola was.

But that wouldn't my only issue.

"What if I don't use it for good?" I say. Ben looks confused. But he didn't know about the time I used my Noise to manipulate people into doing things for me.

No one made me do it-

I chose to-

Because I had that kind of power-

So who's to say I wouldn't do it again?

"I ain't as good as you think I am." I say.

Ben's got a sad look on his face. **_I understand that you're worried. But the only reason you used your Noise in that way was because you were helping people you loved. Not for selfish reasons._**

"Still don't excuse what I did." I respond. I think about what Viola said, how it was just the war, how it had an affect on me, how it made me do things I normally wouldn't. How I was still a good person.

But I don't know.

**_I'll let you think about it, how about that? _**He says. Ben was never the one to push you into something you weren't comfortable doing.

He'd make a better leader than me any bloody day.

But I tell him anyways, "Okay."

******_Great. _**Ben says, and then we both hear Bradley yellin for us from the control room.

"Come look at the view Todd!"

Ben and I walk into the control room where everyone is at. The big windows just show clouds, and I wonderin what the big deal is because I've seen clouds before, until I look over at Viola who's waving me over to her spot in front of the window.

"Cmere." She says to me. I walk over and look over her shoulder, down to where she's pointin.

And then I see it.

The land-

The people-

The spackle-

The New World.


	13. Chapter 13

{Viola}

Ben told the settlers that we'd be arriving late afternoon. They're already crowded around the landing spot, anticipating our presence.

I try not to act nervous in front of Todd, but he notices anyways.

"You okay?" He asks me. We're still standing in the window, watching the scout ship get closer and closer to the ground.

Closer and closer to our new way of life.

"Yeah, I'm okay." I say, but he doesn't believe me, per his Noise.

"I'll be fine Viola." Todd says, with a genuine smile.

I just nod my head.

"I sure hope so."

When the ship finally lands, everyone goes before Todd and I. There is a crowd of people all cheering for our group with big smiles on their faces, but they're mostly peeking their heads in to see the two of us, especially Todd. There have been stories about him already spreading around the settlement, how he is this towns saving grace, it's true hero. And it's true- Todd sacrificed everything for this. But, was it enough to keep him safe?

I press the thought as far down as I can.

Todd and I finally descend the ramp of the scout ship and everyone can see us. They're all cheering and hollering and we can hear all kinds of excited chatter going on in the men's Noise. They're all so thrilled to see Todd and I together, but I can tell he's overwhelmed. All he does is nod to the crowd, walking as fast as he can to get away. I try to keep up with his pace.

"I ain't never gonna get used to this." Todd says, and I halfway smile.

"Me neither."

Ben turns around from in front of us.

_**We don't officially have sleeping quarters for everyone, so we've got to make do with what we have. The settlers agreed on helping build a new community, which we'll start on soon, but in the meantime we're going to stay in our tents, where the old house of healing used to be.**_

"It's crazy to think it was here just a few months ago." I say, remembering all of the things that happened in the short time I was there.

"A lot did happen there." Mistress Lawson says. "But we'll have another one up and running soon. And I sure hope you'd join me dear." She looks at me over her shoulder, hope in her eyes.

"I agree, Viola." Bradley speaks up. "If we're going to assign tasks in order to re-build this community, we may as well stick to what we're good at."

Ben also turns around, speaking to Todd.

_**And Todd, you can work on farming with me. We can teach the settlers how, too.**_

I look over at Todd, who looks to me at the same time. I think he reads the panic that I'm feeling, because this is exactly how we got separated the first time, but he immediately grabs my hand and his Noise is saying, it's going to be okay.

Why were people having to tell me this so much these days?

"It's not like you'll be at work all day and under strict orders. I promise you'll be able to see each other." Bradley says before laughing to himself. "You two can't go seconds without each other. Goodness."

I feel Todd squeeze my hand, but it's not in response to what I think it is.

Up ahead is the house of healing, with two figures standing in front of it. Neither of them has Noise, so they must be women, but Todd's eyes are dead set on them.

"Who's that?" He whispers to me.

I squint my eyes, starting to feel slightly panicked, until I realize who it is.

"It's Hildy." I say, matter of fact. "And probably that Farbranch girl she brought with her."

Todd nods his head slowly. I ask him, "What are you thinking?" But I didn't really have to. His Noise is questioning whether they can be trusted or not.

"Just wonderin' what they want."

We're about to find out. Hildy's eyes get all big when she spots Todd, and the girl next to her just smiles politely. Once we're in front of our tents the rest of the group goes inside, and Hildy gives Todd a big hug.

"Why, yer really are a man now, arnt cha?" Hildy says, stepping back and patting him on the shoulder.

"Yes ma'am. It's good to see ya, Hildy." He says back politely.

The girl standing next to her, blonde and similar to me in stature, is staring right at Todd, a small smile on her face.

Hildy looks to her, "Y'all, this here yung lady is Laura. She worked out in the fields of Farbranch an came a runnin with us after the attack. And Laura, this is-"

"I already know. Todd Hewitt." She says, extending her hand out to Todd, smiling even bigger. "Our hero."

Todd politely takes her hand in his and gives her a nod.

"An Viola." Hildy says. The girl looks to me, not as excited as when she saw Todd.

"You're more remarkable in person that I could've imagined. It's nice to meet you." She tells me.

"Likewise." I lie to her.

Why I lie to her, I don't know-

She doesn't seem untrustworthy-

But you can never be too sure-

I don't know.

"Well, we jus came by to say hello. Our tent is just across the way over there." Hildy points out in the distance. The settlers were stationed out in the main area of the land. We were in a separate corner.

"Don't be strangers."'I lie again. Not to Hildy, of course.

"I'm sure we'll see y'all tomorrow. Ben told us dat work starts soon. We're all a real excited." Hildy says and starts to walk off. The girl stays behind.

"Very excited. I haven't done anything useful with my time in ages it seems." She's talking to us both, but still looking right at Todd. She steps a little closer to him, and my eyes get wide.

Is she trying to?-

"You know, I'm really good at farming and agriculture and stuff. You are too, right?" She asks him.

Todd takes about two steps back, and I read in his Noise, how does she know that?

I'm about to say the same thing, until she reads his Noise and responds,

"Everyone knows that, Todd. You're like a celebrity around here." She giggles a little.

Todd's Noise is still confused, and a little irritable.

"Well, thank yer." He says simply, walking into the tent that we would share.

Laura blinks a few times, stunned that Todd has walked away from the conversation, then turns her gaze to me.

"Well, I guess I'll be heading off now. It was nice to meet you, Viola." She says.

But I don't respond. Instead I nod in her direction, and wait for her to finally walk away before following Todd into the tent. But before I make it inside, I hear someone calling my name off in the distance.

"Viola! Viola!" It's coming from another female figure. She's running up to me, and I squint my eyes to try and get a better look, when I realize that I know her, grew up with her even, and it had been so long that I almost forgot about her-

Steff Taylor.

"Steff Taylor?" I say, this time out loud. When she's finally in front of me she opens her arms and pulls me in for a hug. I'm taken a back at the gesture - she and I weren't exactly friends on the ship.

"I can't believe you're alive!" She says, stepping back and shaking my shoulders as if I weren't real. Then she lets me go, and there's a look of sorrow on her face.

"I'm sorry about what happened to your parents. I can't imagine how hard that must've been for you."

I'm more shocked at the fact that she apologized, instead of her bringing up my dead parents. I scrunch my eyebrows together, taking in not only her change in personality but her appearance entirely. Her once long blonde hair is now brown, and just barely touches her shoulders. She's grown a few inches, making she and I the same height, except she's filled out a lot more than I had in the last several months. I must have been staring at her for a long time, because her sorrowful expression turns to confusion.

"What, Viola?" She asks, and I shake my head.

"No, nothing. I'm just shocked to see you is all. You look so different."

Steff's eyes turn go from confused to mischievous.

"Yeah Viola, I grew up. I'm a _woman_ now." she says, extra emphasis on "woman". Steff looks me up and down and frowns at my slender stature, then proceeds to insult me, "Don't worry, Viola. You'll get there eventually."

Irritation rises in me; Steff has no idea how much I've gone through in the last several months, and how much i've matured because of it. At one point I would allow her to speak to me in this way, though not anymore.

I cross my arms before throwing back an insult, "Wow Steff. Nothing about you has changed. I'm suddenly starting to wish the ship never made it if it meant leaving you behind."

The words taste bitter as they come off of my tongue - this isn't like me at all. But the face Steff makes after hearing my comment is priceless.

But it doesn't seem to faze Steff.

"Hm. I think I like this Viola." She grins.

"I have to go." I tell her, itching to get into the tent and away from this conversation.

Who is it that I've become all of a sudden?


	14. Chapter 14

[Todd]

Viola stomps into our tent so loudly that I jump up from the cot I'm lyin on. We've only been in the new settlement for an hour but I am already exhausted — 'specially from all the attenshun from the settlers. And all those questshuns from that girl — I just need a minute to rest. That isn't gonna happen, though. From the look on her face, I can tell that Viola is heated.

"Sorry, Todd." She says, reading my Noise. She goes to sit on the little stool adjacent to the cot and puts her face in her hands.

"No worries. What's wrong?" I ask her, sitting up in the bed. I'm just now noticin' that there's only one, and it's pretty small for the two of us.

Viola looks up at me and sighs, "Nothing's wrong, I'm just tired. It's been a long day." She tries to put a smile on her face but I can tell it's just a cover up.

I swing my legs across the bed and pat the space next to it, invitin her to sit down next to me. She gets up and walks over, placing her head on my shoulder once she sits down.

"You don't trust them." I say to her.

It's quiet for a moment, and then she finally says, "I don't know, Todd. But don't worry about it, okay? You really need to rest." She responds, reading how tired I am in my Noise.

In these kinds of moments, I wish she had Noise. I'm good at reading her, but I don't always know if she's being honest with me or not.

"I am being honest, Todd." She says, calm but also stern.

I sigh. She never misses a thought.

"I know. I just need to know that yer okay. For peace of mind, I guess." I say to her. She just nods her head as if she understands and I don't push her anymore. With everything that's been going on, it's a lot to take in.

We sit there for a moment in silence, until I notice Viola is shaking. Probably from the cold. I turn my head and notice that there's only one thin blanket on the cot — that won't even be enough for one person, let alone both of us.

"We need more blankets." I say, starting to get up to go find some, when I hear a familiar Noise approaching our tent. After a few moments, I realize who it is.

Wilf.

I leap from the cot with the little energy I have and open the tent just as Wilf is getting off his carriage, holding a set of thick blankets and extra clothing.

"Wilf!" I say, embracing him in a hug.

"Well howdy, Todd." He says back. I step away from him and grab the blankets out of his hands. Viola comes over to grab the extra clothes.

"You brought this just in time, Wilf. Thank you." Viola says to him. He just nods.

"Cold, it's getting'. We thought you might need those." Wilf says.

"Yes, thank yer Wilf. We'd freeze tonight if it weren't for ya." I say, appreciative.

"Not me — them." Wilf says. Me and viola both share a confused look until we see that Wilf is pointing in the distance, towards the spackle community.

"What do you mean?" Viola asks. Curiosity rises in my Noise.

"Spackle tell us that winter is longer this year. Gonna get colder soon." He explains.

This don't make any sense to me. Winter always comes and goes at the same time every year. In a couple of weeks it should be warmin up, approaching the spring-time.

"Are yer sure? Spring comes after winter, Wilf." I ask, furrowing my eyebrows.

Wilf shrugs his shoulders, "That's what they said."

He turns towards his carriage and before leaving says to us, "Goodnight, y'all"

We wave him goodbye. Viola walks into the corner of the tent and starts to put the new clothes on top of the ones she's wearing.

"I wonder what that was about..." she starts to say.

"Probably just a cold front or somethin'. Winter shud be over soon." I say.

"But he said the spackle told him that winter will be longer. Why would they say that if it wasn't true?" Viola asks. She's finally got on the thick jacket and puffy pants. I try to hold in a laugh, and does she ever give me a look.

"What, Todd?" she says, putting her hands on her hips.

"You look real funny. Like yer all blown up." I say to her, laughing.

Then she laughs a little bit too, making my Noise all warm. "Yeah, I guess this is too much. But it feels like it's getting colder and colder."

She walks over to the cot and starts to take the extra clothes off.

"You'll be fine next to me." I tell her, wonderin if it's too much, but then a smile stretches across her face.

"Of course I will." She says.

And my Noise starts to hum-

Cause when she smiles that smile-

Everything seems to be okay.

The sun isn't completely set, but Viola and I decide that we're too tired to stay up any later. Plus, Ben is going to put us to work tomorrow, so we need as much rest as possible. We climb underneath the thick covers that Wilf gave us and fall asleep next to each other on the cot.

But, at some point in the night my Noise starts rattling, and I wake up. It's nearly pitch black inside the tent, the only light coming from the moon that's shining through the space underneath the tent. I look over to my side and see that Viola is sleeping peacefully — I guess she's gotten used to the sound of my Noise and can easily sleep through it.

I don't want to wake her up, but I'm sensing someone's Noise from around the tent. The closer it gets, the more I recognize it, and within a few seconds I know exactly who it is.

1017.

I shuffle off the cot as quietly but as quickly as possible to make sure Viola doesn't wake up. I open the tent just before he's able to peek in, and then we're standing there face to face.

"What are yer doing here?!" I whisper scream.

_**I'm sorry to be dropping in on such short notice. **_He says, his hands up in defense_**. **_

"You can't be here... not around Viola. Not yet." I say to him. I peek over my shoulder to check on her — she's still sleeping.

_**I understand, but I have information that is important for you to know. The least I can do for you, after everything that I've done, is to warn you. **_

My Noise is full of alarm at the sound of this. Another threat? Already? This can't be happening...

"What is it?" I ask, concerned.

He pauses for a moment, before telling me.

_**A winter storm like no other... the snowscape. **_

At first I'm confused, searching my mind for a time when we learned about a snowscape in school, or if Ben had told me about it before. But it doesn't ever come to me.

"What are you talking abo-" but before I can get the words out, I hear Viola wake up, gasping, and she says shuffling to her feet,

"Todd?"


	15. Chapter 15

{Viola}

Panic rises in me the moment I see 1017 hunched over Todd. I'm used to sleeping next to him by now, his Noise nothing but a quiet hum that keeps me asleep, but the mixture of the two together woke me up startled. I could hear nothing but concern, confusion, and panic, so loud that I jolted awake feeling the same way.

And now I know why.

"Todd?!" I nearly yell, jumping out of the bed. I'm still only half awake but I'm walking up to them anyways. Running, by now.

"Step back!" I yell to 1017. He puts his hands up in defense and barrels backwards. Todd quickly stands between 1017 and I, stretching his arms out to block me.

"No, Viola it's okay!" Todd says. I'm still trying to get around his arms to look 1017 right in the eye, and tell him to leave us alone. Why is he still following us?

Todd grabs my shoulders, as if I'm the threat instead of the other way around.

"Why are you here?" I say to 1017.

"Viola he's just tryin to help... I promise he's not going to hurt us."

I look into Todd's eyes, full of warmth and acceptance, and see that he genuinely believes this. I look over to 1017, who has a look of concern on his face, hands still up in defense.

It wasn't too long ago when this situation was flipped the other way around-

With Todd attacking a Spackle-

With me defending that Spackle-

What have I become?-

Todd loosens his grip on my shoulders once he sees that I've started to calm down.

"You gotta trust me." He says, and I shake my head in agreement.

But I'm still holding my breath.

Todd turns back around towards 1017.

"Tell us again what you just said... somethin bout a snowscape?" Todd asks. He steps towards 1017 and I'm following closely behind, arms crossed.

_**I've just learned of it's nature from the older Spackle in our community. It is a snowstorm that only occurs on this planet. In the past, it has occurred once every ten years, but it has been centuries since they've last seen one. Some say it is myth, some say that it's evolution, but others predict that the conditions of our current climate indicate that one should be arriving soon. **_

I furrow my eyebrows at him. "And why are you telling us all of this?" I'm still trying to figure out why he's following us, so caring all of a sudden.

_**To warn you. From what I've heard, this storm can be catastrophic. And by the looks of it, your people are not prepared. **_

"I ain't never heard of no snowscape in school." Todd says.

_**Your people have not been here long enough, or have had the proper education, on the ways of this planet. There is a lot you all do not know. **_

I begin to get frustrated. Who is he to come down here and tell us what we don't know? But from the way Todd is looking at 1017, his face written with worry and concern, I figure his argument is worth considering. It is getting colder when it should be getting warmer.

Do we trust him-

Even if he's been disloyal in the past?

Todd looks from 1017 and back to me, checking to see if I buy his message.

"Who told you about... the snowscape?" I say when Todd keeps silent.

_**The land is warning us of it, more so a feeling than a telling. Your leader, Ben. He would understand.**_

Todd and I both look at each other, a feeling of relief taking over. Ben can easily read the land and see if what 1017 is saying is true or not. That's how we'll know if he can be trusted.

"We'll talk to him about it in the morning." I say sternly. Todd shakes his head in agreement.

"Yeah. We'll get it straightened out then. And... thanks. For yer headsup." Todd says, appreciative. I glare at him, wondering when this bond suddenly formed between the two.

_**It's my pleasure. I will bring more information for you as soon as I hear anything. **_

Then, looking to me, he says, _**Thank you so much for your mercy. I appreciate your kindness more than you know. **_

And with that, he disappears into the night.

Todd closes the tent and starts to make his way back to the cot. When I don't follow, still standing with my arms crossed, he looks at me with raised eyebrows.

"What is it?" He asks.

"You know what." I say, more stern than I intend. "Since when are you so trusting of 1017?"

Todd sighs a little, then says, "We sorta had a conversation the other day. And I forgave him."

I'm taken aback by this — the other day?

"How come you didn't mention it before?" I ask him, a little stunned and somewhat hurt that he's kept this from me.

"I didn't want you to get upset." He says, searching my face for any signs of anger. "Are you mad?"

Part of me wants to be. Todd knows how I feel about 1017 — I will never be able to trust him. But the other part of me, most of me, isn't.

I uncross my arms and make my way to the cot, plopping down next to Todd.

"No, I'm not mad. I understand why you didn't tell me."

"It's not because I wanted to hide it from you." He says, reassuringly.

"I know, Todd. You're just looking out for me, as always. And I get it — I've been impossible to deal with lately." I say, closing my eyes to keep the tears from falling out. The last few days have felt so difficult — always watching my back, not being able to trust people, lashing out at even the smallest things. We were supposed to be in better times. Why couldn't I act like it?

Todd places a hand on my back and says comfortingly, "yer not impossible. Yer just scared... I get that..."

But I shake my head no-

No more excuses-

"There's nothing to be afraid of anymore." I say, looking at Todd. "If you trust him... so do I."

Todd's eyes get really wide. "Are yer sure?"

I'm not-

But im going to try to be-

"Yes. Just... be careful." I say.

"We're gonna be okay. We just gotta watch out for each other." Todd says.

"Always." I tell him, and mean it.

"Good. Now get some sleep. We got a bigger problem to deal with in the morning, apparently..."

But evidently, we would have to deal with it right now. Just before Todd finishes his sentence, Ben and Bradley tear through our tent, looks of concern written all over their faces.

"We've got a major problem coming." Bradley says. We don't even have to ask what — it's written all over Ben's Noise.

Snowscape.


	16. Chapter 16

[Todd]

Ben and Bradley drag me, Viola, Lee, Mistress Lawson, Wilf, and Jane out of our tents and around a fire in the middle of the settlement. Even under the thick blanket that me and viola share, we are still shakin' like crazy.

Partly cuz of the cold. Mostly cuz of the nerves.

"Okay... explain it to me one more time. What is a snowscape?" Lee asks.

_**It's a snowstorm unlike anything you've ever experienced. I was informed of it by the land just now — all the spackle are talking about it. **_

"How much time do we have to prepare?" mistress Lawson asks, worried.

"Not much, maybe two or three months, at most." Bradley states. He's lookin at his shoes and not us, as if the answers are somewhere beneath his feet.

"How bad is it really gone be?" Jane says. Everyone sounds so worried, so alarmed. I just look over at Viola, who's got her eyes fixed on the fire. I wonder what she's thinkin.

Instead of Ben answering our questshuns, he shows us in his Noise. It's full of thick white sheets of snow, covering the ground and blowing through the air. There ain't much else we can see.

"How do we know it's gonna be that bad? This ain't never happened in new world before. It could be a regular snow storm for all we know." I say, but it don't help. Everyone still looks worried.

_**The spackle know things about this world that we don't. Even if it doesn't come, or isn't as bad as we think, we need to do something about it fast. Or else, we may not be able to survive it. **_

Viola winces beside me at the idea of not survivin. I grab her hand as a way to comfort her, but even I start to get a little nervous, too.

"We're going to need all hands on deck if we're going to make it through this. The supplies on the scout ship will last us a while, but we're going to need adequate shelter and a food supply to stick it out." Bradley states. Everyone agrees, but no one offers a suggeshun for how.

"I'll also need to train a good group of women as healers. People will easily get sick in those conditions."

"I'll help you." Viola finally speaks. She looks up from the fire to the rest of us.

"We have to survive this, and we're going to. There is no other choice." there's seriousness in her voice, a fire burning in her eyes other than the light in front of us.

There she is-

There's my Viola-

My Viola.

"What you say goes, leader." Lee says, smiling. Viola returns it, small, but still there.

"We've worked too hard to get here... and we've dealt with harder things before. We can make this happen." She stays, a matter a fact.

Everyone's starting to look more hopeful now; whenever Viola takes charge everything seems to be okay. I wonder where her sudden motivashun comes from, when just a minute ago she was all stressed out.

"So whats your plan, Ben?" She asks.

_**We need to assign the settlers to different positions. Building shelter, gathering sustainable food, healing, all of it. We can work on assignments first thing in the morning. **_

"I can help with building shelter." Lee suggests, but Viola shakes her head.

"That might be a lot for you to handle, Lee." He just laughs her off, but his Noise starts to get warm.

"You can't protect me from everything, Vi."

"Let him do it. We can work together." I insist, that little jealous feeling risin up in me again.

"I'll help with gatherin food. We've already got heaps of it stashed away." Jane adds, and Wilf nods with her.

"Now all we have to do now is divide the settlers so we can start, first thing tomorrow." Bradley says, rubbing the back of his neck like he's still nervous.

"I guess that settles it, then." Viola says. "Look at us, working as a team." We laugh a little bit, tryin to lighten the mood.

"We best get back to bed then." Wilf says, not even worried. He and Jane make their way to their own tent.

Mistress Lawson and Bradley do the same, and when Bradley walks away I can see nerves all in his Noise. He wasn't expectin to have to deal with a whole new problem so soon...

Neither was I.

"Are you worried?" I hear Viola ask at my side, makin me jump a little.

"No..." I start to say, but she's lookin in my eyes, reading me, and I can't lie to her.

"Kinda." I give in. "I mean, Bradley and Ben got a solid plan together, the settlers are on board with basically everything we say, and you..." I trail off but don't need to finish. She's already reading how wonderful she is to me in my Noise. She smiles a little because of it.

"Are you worried?" I ask her back. She nods, slowly.

"If What 1017 and Ben said is right... this will be one hell of a problem to fix. And it's not like we can just run away from it." she says.

"We could. Just got each other to watch out for instead of the whole town..."

"But we'd have less support. Especially in a huge storm like that."

I look down to the ground, kinda disappointed that she's right. She puts her hand on my shoulder.

"But, hey... we can handle this. We've been through way worse. A ruddy storm can't stop us." She says, that smile on her face.

"Yer right." I tell her, feelin a little more confident. When Viola is okay, I'm okay.

But still-

"Just remember... I won't leave you. We're gonna be split up working and I know it'll get busy and crazy but I won't leave you, not never-"

"That's the last thing you gotta worry about with me, Viola." I tell her. She smiles.

"Okay. Me too."

My Noise gets warm, knowing that whatever happens next, I'll at least have Viola to go through it with.

If we even get through it-

And then I'm realizin, however bad this gets, I gotta protect her from it, her over any and everyone else, her over myself-

_**Todd? Can I talk to you for a second**_? Ben asks me, interrupting my thoughts. Viola looks twixt us both and decides to get up.

"I'm gonna go back to bed. See you in the morning." She tells us both. I get up and meet Ben on the other side of the fire. He speaks up before I get the chance to ask him what's going on.

_**Have you thought anymore about what I said before? About the Land and your Noise? **_

I shake my head no – I actually completely forgot about it.

"Why do you ask?" I say.

_**I think it would be helpful in these circumstances. With me being the only one to understand the land, it can get hard to communicate between the spackle and the community. **_

I bite the inside of my lip, thinkin. I see Ben's point, but I can't convince myself to do it.

"What if it don't work for me?" I ask him. Ben smiles.

_**Trust me, it will. I can teach you. The Spackle can, too**_.

"I ain't always been the most trustworthy person with Noise, though." I don't tell him why, cause he already sees the horrible things I've done popping up in my Noise. Like controlling Davy, like controlling Wilf, not saving Simone, working for the mayor. I don't want to chance that again.

_**I know you've been through a lot. And we don't have to start right away. Just keep thinking about it... I promise you it'll be worth it**_. He says. Then he pulls me in for a hug, and I close my eyes, cause it's reminding me of how he used to comfort me back home.

I meet Viola back at the cot, really considerin Ben's point. Maybe I could redeem myself, become a better man, a better leader, if I did this.

And maybe I can save everyone, too, in the meantime.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note:** Just wanted to say thanks to y'all who are keeping up with the story! It's super fun to write and I'm really happy you're along for the ride! I love Chaos Walking so so so much and just want to keep the story going… hope you enjoy chapter 17!

{Viola}

I wake up the next morning before dawn. I could hardly sleep last night, and not because of Todd's Noise, which was more restless than usual, but because of what is at stake. We've just resolved one problem and have been presented with another, one that I'm partially responsible for fixing, and I'm not going to mess it up. I can't mess it up. Everything, everyone, relies on it.

Todd, my friends, and everyone else I've promised a life of peace and freedom.

I carefully slide off of the cot, get dressed, and go outside to make a pot of oatmeal for Todd and me. It's chilly, and no one else is awake in the darkness. Just me and my thoughts. I'm humming to myself while stirring the oats, trying to stay as calm as possible, when suddenly I hear someone clear their throat behind me. I jump up, startled, only to find that it's Lee standing there, his lips turned into a small grin.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He says, slightly whispering.

"Gosh, Lee. You can't do that!" I say to him, sitting back down on the log. I pat the spot next to me, inviting him to sit down.

"You're up early." He says, taking the seat.

"So are you." I reply, smartly. He laughs.

"Couldn't sleep. Seems like there's just one problem after another." He puts his face in his hands and sighs.

"We're gonna be okay. We've got so many resources, the spackle, each other. We'll make it." I say, trying to convince myself of the words, too. But his Noise becomes extremely worried, causing me to look up at him. "What's wrong?" I ask, concerned.

Lee takes a moment before responding. "We're a team, but it's like everyone has someone...except me." He says. I raise my eyebrows, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Ben and Bradley obviously bond well. Wilf and Jane are literally married. And then there's you and Todd... I mean, no one can match that." When he says this, I look to the ground.

"But I don't have someone like that. Not that it's necessary, we're all a team. But when you need someone to have your back, someone to lean on, I don't know who I'd go to." He says, and genuinely sounds concerned.

"I mean... you've always got Mistress Lawson." I say jokingly, and he laughs a little.

"Yeah, you're right. What better sidekick to have than a healer?" But he's being sarcastic. "It be nice to have my mom and sister in moments like this."

I put the spoon down for the oats and sigh, sympathetically. Lee has been through so much; losing his mother, his sister, his eyesight. I've lost a lot too, but I'll never know what it's like to be his kind of lonely, stuck with only his Noise and darkness. I place my hand on his back, hoping that it is a sufficient source of comfort.

"Lee, Todd and I are always here for you." I tell him.

"I know."

But he doesn't sound convinced. "Do you know? I would literally never let anything bad happen to you. And you can come to me for anything. Anything." I say, and I mean it.

His Noise starts to show a pink color, followed by an image from the last time he saw me with his sight. My heart begins to ache as I suddenly feel like the bad guy - there is something he needs, beyond my friendship, that I just can't give to him.

"It's okay, Viola. I'm okay." He says, almost as if he read my mind. I sigh and remove my hand from his back. Now it just feels weird instead of comforting, and I began to wonder how I'll keep my friendship with Lee knowing how he feels.

Seconds later, Todd's Noise gets louder and louder, innocently wondering what's going on outside. I start to get up, but Lee beats me to it.

"I'll head out. See you at the meeting." He says, patting my shoulder. Todd walks out of the tent and they make eye contact, giving each other a nod. I stay put, feeling awkward.

When Lee is out of earshot, Todd sits down beside me and says, "You're up early."

I take the oatmeal off of the fire and pour it in a bowl.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep." I tell him, and figure it's a great time to divert the conversation. "What was up with your Noise last night? You were more restless than normal."

Todd takes the bowl from my outstretched hand but doesn't take a bite. Instead, he stares into it, as if he's looking for a response inside of the mush, but I can already read it in his Noise. Something about Ben, learning the language of the land, Todd being a bad guy...

"Ben wants me to learn to use my Noise like him." He says. It doesn't surprise me. Ben has asked him about his Noise multiple times before.

"Do you not want to?" I ask him.

"I don't know. He says that it could be helpful, but I don't know if they can trust me. Considerin all that's happened." He says. Images of the mayor pop up in his Noise, but I stop him before it gets too bad.

"That isn't you, Todd."

He shakes his head.

"But how do we know I won't make the same mistake?" He asks, eyes glossing over, hands shaking. I place mine over his.

"Look, Todd, no one's forcing you to do it. If you don't feel comfortable, then don't worry about it."

"Well... what do you think?" He asks me.

And I don't know-

Because even though I know he's good-

Anything could happen-

And it was better to be safe-

But-

"I think you'd use it for the absolute best. Because that's who you are." Because that's what I believe.

Todd smiles softly, then starts eating the oatmeal. I join him, and we sit in silence for a moment, except I'm reading his Noise, and he's imagining himself, helping the settlement, using his Noise for good, and I'm there alongside him, and we're happy, and we're safe, and there's peace...

This is exactly what I wanted.

Once we finish our oatmeal, the sun has risen and fills the settlement with an abundance of sunshine. I turn to look at it, enjoying this moment of peace, when I see Ben and Bradley walk out of their tents. I also notice a few other settlers coming out of their tents and walking to the center of the land, probably gathering for our important meeting.

"You two ready?" Bradley calls to us. In this moment lee, mistress Lawson, Wilf, and Jane are all walking out of their tents too.

This is it.

"Yeah, right behind you." I call over, my voice shaking a little.

We're ready for this-

We're ready for this-

We're ready for this-

Todd and I stand up and walk over to the rest of the group. We walk to the center as one, nobody speaking at first, until Ben says through his Noise

_**Remember, today we're just splitting the settlers up into groups. So far, we've got a group for gathering and storing food, a group for building shelter, and a group for healers. The rest we can handle as we go. Wilf and Jane will run the food, Todd and Lee will run shelter, Viola and Mistress Lawson can head the healers, and I'll help to oversee it all. Sound good?**_

We all shake our heads yes in response.

We meet the settlers in the middle of the field - there are thousands of them. Ben decides to speak to them through his Noise, even though there is a podium with a microphone set up for us. We all approach them smiling, and I can hear Todd getting nervous through his Noise. My own thoughts start to get shaky when I spot Hildy, Matthew Lyle, Laura, and Steff standing right up front.

Ben is the first to address the settlers.

_**Good morning, my neighbors. Hopefully you've all been settling in well. We want you all to feel comfortable, however, there is a circumstance that we must address for your own comfort and safety. **_

Ben makes it sound rather alarming, hence the settler's frightened faces, crowded Noise, and chatter with one another.

Bradley takes the microphone off the podium to speak,

"A winter storm, called the snowscape, is upon us. No one, not even the native inhabitants of this land have experienced it, but from what we do know, it has the ability to be catastrophic."

Todd gulps, and I feel a pang in my chest at the word.

But we can do this-

We can save them-

_**I assure you all, there is nothing to fear. We are all going to work together to build our community in preparation of this storm, even us on the council. This is something we were already planning to do, in order to rebuild our community. Of course, this storm was not expected, and it could be very dangerous, but I promise it is something we can handle. **_

I'm staring out at the crowd, and they don't seem to be taking this news very well. The men's Noise is extremely loud and restless, others have a look of confusion on their faces, and others seem to be getting angry. They've already had to endure so many new changes; dealing with Noise, living on a new planet, co-habiting with the Spackle, which they still did not entirely understand. How in the world are we going to ask them to pull this off? All of a sudden, I feel an even greater pull of responsibility to make sure everyone is safe.

People in the crowd start chatting, and it eventually turns into a really loud noise. We all on the council look back and forth towards one another, unsure of what to do further, until the crowd turns their direction to the right, towards the trees. The loud noise isn't coming from the crowd, but from whatever is about to emerge from the woods.

Todd takes a step-in front of me, guarding me from the potential threat. I grab onto his arm, feeling a bit afraid and unsteady. His Noise is just as scared, but also alert.

But after a moment, we all start to settle down, recognizing the Noise we hear, and as it gets closer, we all realize it isn't a threat, but who we'd been fighting for, fighting with, this whole time,

It's the spackle.

But not just one or two. Hundreds, maybe even thousands, are making their way towards us. Ben and Bradley relax, but I feel Todd tense up even more.

"What do they want?" I hear him whisper. But I know it as soon as I catch a glance at the spackle heading the group.

It's 1017-

The new leader of our neighbors-

They've come here to help us.

1017 tells the rest of the spackle to stop moving. They're a good distance away from the settlers, and it's obvious that 1017 stops them due to the panicked and scared looks on the settlers faces.

"What is that!" I hear some of them say.

"Aliens!" From a few others. I turn around to look at them, and only Hildy, Matthew, and Laura look unbothered.

Ben speaks to the settlers through his Noise again, _**do not worry, neighbors. They are our friends. Welcome the Spackle, would you? **_

But they don't ease up, especially when 1017 approaches, sticks out his six fingered hand towards Ben, and they shake. That gets a gasp out of the crowd, and suddenly they're even more frightened than before.

We're all exchanging confused looks, unsure of how to convince the settlers that the spackle can be trusted. But our questions are solved when Todd steps away from me, looking back as if to tell me not to worry, and marches right up to 1017. People start shouting even more as Todd gets closer.

And then I realize what he's doing.

He's stepping up-

He's accepting the challenge-

He is choosing to be our hero.


	18. Chapter 18

[Todd]

I know wut I have to do.

The settlers think I'm their hero. Surely if they've put all their trust in me, I can show them the Spackle can be trusted, too.

Ben was right-

I don't have a choice-

I have to be here-

I have to step up-

For my friends-

For the settlers-

For the love of my life, standing beside me-

Her eyes stare into mine as I step away; she's scared but knows I gotta do this. When I'm finally standin' in front of him, 107 already knows what I'm about to do, and extends his hand to me. I grab it and we shake, like best buddies or somethin. Then he asks me through his Noise.

_**Is it possible, with your permission, to join the effort in preparing for the snowscape? We want to do our part, too. **_

I scratch my head before lookin over to Ben, Bradley, and Viola. They're the ones who should be doin this part of it, not me. But they all stand still, like this is my call. So I answer it.

"Uhhh. We cud use yer help, yeah. But I don't know how the settlers would feel about it. Everything's still so new to them." I say to him. He nods, understandin.

_**That's alright. Please let us know if there is anything we can do, though. We have the knowledge and resources of this land to survive the storm.**_

I nod, then make my way back to the others.

"They wanna help us." I say, even tho they cud hear what he said already. Ben, Bradley, and Lee all look like they approve of the idea. But Viola and Mistress Lawson kinda look unsure. Jane and Wilf shrug their shoulders, agreeing with whatever we wanna do.

So I guess it really is up to me.

"The help would be great, but how are we going to get these people on board? They're still frightened." Mistress Lawson says.

"They're going to have to trust them." Viola finally speaks, determination in her eyes. "The Spackle aren't as strong as us but they certainly add numbers. The more people helping, the better. No doubt about it." And I'm wonderin' where her certain trust in them is coming from.

"How else are we going to save our people from this?" She says to me. I nod, agreeing.

Ben shakes his head, too, and gives 1017 a nod. A nod that says we're in this together, now. Then he turns to the settlers.

_**See, my friends? The spackle can be trusted. And they are here to help us. We understand you have concerns and are willing to answer any questions you may have. But believe me, believe us. They are on our side. **_

The settlers all look over to the spackle, barely standing in the woods. Their Noise is all jumbled, some relieved, some uncertain, some still afraid. I turn to look at Viola, and she looks a little worried too. It kills me that I don't know what to do to make her feel secure, again.

Someone from the crowd randomly shouts; it's the girl who was with Hildy. Her sudden announcement makes us all jump.

"Hey guys, Cmon!" She yells to the rest of the settlers.

"If Todd trusts them, shouldn't we all? I for one am not questioning our hero." She turns to look at me, smilin. And the next thing she does is totally unexpected.

She winks-

At me-

And I ain't the only one to notice-

Because of the cold, hard, tense look I see Viola giving the girl.

I don't know what to say to that, so Ben steps in for me.

_**Thank you, for your support. I hope everyone else feels the same way. **_

The crowd starts to clap a little, but I'm still lookin at Viola's expression.

"What are you thinkin?" I ask her. But she just keeps her lips in a tight line, and says without lookin at me.

"Nothing."

I wonder what that's all about.

Ben keeps talking to the settlers,

_**In order for us to prepare for the storm, we're going to divide our community into different groups. If you and your loved ones are not in the same group, do not worry. This process will not be unethical or harmful to you all; we simply need everyone's effort in order to prepare for what's coming. **_

Ben nods to us all, signaling it's time to get into groups. We all walk to the front of the podium and assemble into a line in front of the settlers. Viola and Mistress Lawson stand together at the corner, me and Lee stand next to them, Ben and Bradley in the center, then it's Wilf and Jane on their other side, and 1017 on the edge. His spackle group are still standing off in the woods.

"For those of you with experience in medicine, we'd like for you to join Viola and Mistress Lawson to help as healers." Bradley says. A handful of women and even some men make their way to the side with Viola. I notice she takes a deep breath and holds on to it for a little while. She's nervous.

Bradley keeps goin, "For those of you with a the ability to build and undergo heavy labor, we'd like for you to join Todd and Lee."

I watch as a handful of settlers approach us, my heart beating a little faster, my Noise rattling with nerves.

But the worst part is who I see coming towards us. Hildy. And the girl.

And Matthew Lyle.

I swallow a lump in my throat, and out of habit I look over at Viola, and I see she's lookin back at me now, worry written all over her face.

"Laura, get on over there wit Viola. Ain't got no business doin the big boy job." Hildy says to the girl. Laura, I mean.

She pouts at Hildy. "Why not? I can build! I've done it before."

Matthew Lyle gives her a stern look. "Stop being difficult, sister. You can't handle it."

"But-"

"No! Yer little twig arms cud barely hol up one board uh wood. Viola er take care uh ya, right darlin?" Hildy says, yelling over to Viola. She looks over at us, and I call tell it's taking everything in her to be polite.

"Of course." She says, kind of tense. Laura puts on a smile as she walks up to Viola, and Viola cuts her eyes to me quickly.

"That's better." Hildy says, standing next to me. Matthew approaches next, lookin at me with a face I can't really read. But then, he extends his hand out to me.

"Truce?" Is all he says.

I'm hesitant to accept. He tried to kill me, all because of where I was from, who I was associated with. Was one word really supposed to convince me that he wouldn't do it again? I don't trust it. I feel irritation rising up in me, at this half-ass apology, and everyone standin around can sense it in my Noise. Even Viola does; she even starts to walk up to us. Just her approachin makes me calm down a little.

But not enough. Hildy places her arm in front of Matthew and backs him up. His facial expression goes from simple to stern, almost as if he's pissed that I hadn't accepted his attempt at apologizin. Viola is next to me now, holding on to my arm, like she's afraid I'm goin to fight or somethin. She's not entirely wrong.

"I'm fine." I say to her, but not without taking my eyes off of Matthew.

"Look, I'm not going to hurt you, Todd. You and your council are the best chance at survival, and I've lost too much to jeopardize what I have left." He cuts his eyes over towards Laura, his sister.

Sure, his argument makes sense. He's not gonna do anything stupid enough to put his sister in harms way. He's protecting his girl, just like I'd protect mine.

It's not too different from 1017, and I was able to forgive him. How was Matthew any different?

I nod at him, slowly.

"Alright. Truce." But still, I don't shake his hand, and he doesn't say anything back, and just like that, it's over.

The rest of the settlers are being divided into groups. Viola has gone back to her group, and I feel a void now that her silence isn't beside me, but I still feel her keeping watch over me. She's worried that I'm in danger, and I'm just as worried that she's overwhelmed. I can't help but to think we've put ourselves in the middle of chaos once again.


	19. Chapter 19

Laura won't stop chatting while we wait for all the settlers to be placed into their groups.

"I've never done a job like this before, so I'm really going to need your help. Lucky for me, I've got the best teacher to learn from."

She's referring to me, and even though I know I should be flattered, I'm not. She's just kissing up to me, trying to get on my good side, trying to distract me from what she really wants.

And that's Todd.

Not that I'm jealous. I know Todd better than anyone, and anything, and I know how he feels about me. But I can't help but to be irritated at the fact that someone else is after him.

And besides the fact that this girl is obviously attracted to Todd, I can't shake the feeling that there is more she wants from him, from us, than to get cozy with him. I just have to figure out what.

I keep glancing over at Todd, who's standing very tense next to Lee. The fact that he's working with Matthew Lyle makes me just as annoyed, if not more, than Todd. But what was there for us to do? Everyone looks to him as the hero of this community; if he shows any hostility towards civilians then he will be going against our initial premise of peace amongst one another. I can't help but to feel that he's trapped, and my ability to keep him safe is dwindling by the second.

I look over at Laura, finally responding to her, "You'll primarily be working with Mistress Lawson. She's the best healer here." I say.

"Actually, Viola, I'll need you to work with the new healers while I tend to the people who are already sick."

Laura claps her hands in excitement, and I just sigh. At least I'll be able to keep a close eye on her. And maybe my affiliation with Laura will help protect Todd from Matthew, too, if that's even necessary.

"God, is that chick annoying or what?" I hear Steff say. She walks up beside me and places her hands on her hips.

"What are you doing over here?" I ask her. "Didn't Ben place you with the farmers?"

Steff scoffs, then responds, "Viola, do I _look_ like a farmer to you? I've lived on a damn spaceship my whole life!"

I sigh, knowing that she's right. Now I'll have Laura and Steff's annoyance to deal with. And my growing worries for Todd.

Ben and Bradley have finished separating the settlers, and they're all walking off in different directions. I see Wilf and Jane head towards the open field to collect food, in addition to what we already have stored away, and what the settlers have brought on the ship. There are a few spackle who go with them, too. Lee and Todd walk straight ahead of them, where the city used to be, and where the remains of buildings somewhat stand. They've also got a group of spackle with them, which is good, they'll need the extra set of hands. I try to get Todd's attention by looking his way, but he's speaking to Lee about something. I feel my chest getting heavy, seeing him walking away from us, from me, and make a mental note to sneak away and speak to him when I can.

"Alright everyone! Please follow me." Mistress Lawson calls to our group. We're walking towards the scout ship, where a few tents have been set up around it, full of medical supplies and beds for sick people.

Mistress Lawson leads our group to one tent and shuffles as many of us inside as she can. She realizes that everyone can't fit, however, so she asks me to take half of the group into another tent and show them the supplies. I comply, even though I'm not exactly feeling like being in charge at the moment.

"So these are used for minor injuries, like headaches, tiny scratches, things like that." I say to the group, showing them the patches we use from natural herbs. The settlers look on, fascinated, but I keep replaying the moment Todd used this same cure to heal my arm when I was sick.

"They can also be used in heavier doses for more serious injuries, but after your training, you'll know how much to use and when." I say.

"Is this the same cure that was used for the bands?" Laura asks. She's standing directly in front of me, taking notes on a note pad. I could easily answer her question but find it suspicious that she knows a detail like this about the war. Sure, stories about Todd and I have been going around the settlement, but surely the citizens don't know minor details like this just yet.

Not unless they're looking for them.

"How do you know about that?" I ask her, narrowing my eyes in her direction.

She twitches a little, but then straightens up.

"Hildy and my brother and I got wind of what was happening from some spackle. I don't know everything, but I know how bad it was. I'm...sorry for what happened to you." She says, looking down at my arm where my deadly wound used to be. I believe her reason, Hildy did say they hid on the outskirts while the war was going on. I start to feel terrible for questioning her and leave it alone for now.

"Um… thank you. I appreciate it." I force myself to say to her.

Once I finish showing the group the tools and medicine, I arrange them into pairs so they can practice wrapping gauges on each other. I walk around and monitor their progress, most of them messing up, especially Steff. She's wasted at least three rolls of gauges and is cursing up a storm at her failed attempt. I laugh a little to myself; Steff used to pride herself on being the smartest girl on the ship. Now she's struggling just as much as I did, when I first became a healer.

I'm tirelessly helping a boy unwrap his gauges when Mistress Lawson approaches me.

"Viola? A word?" She asks.

"Here, take a break from this." I tell the boy. "I'll be right back.

Mistress Lawson and I exit the tent. The sun is starting to set, making it even colder than it was earlier today. I fold my arms over each other, attempting to stay warm.

"How's it going in there?" She asks me, shivering a little herself.

"Not bad." I say. "But they have a long of work to do before they're able to heal anyone. Right now they can barely wrap a paper cut..." I say. Mistress Lawson gives me a disapproving look.

"That's not very hopeful, Viola. You're a leader now, you've got to be..." She starts, but I cut her off.

"I know. I'm sorry." I say, actually meaning it. "I've just got a lot on my mind right now."

And it's true. I'm worried about Todd, skeptical of Laura, and even though I've put on a brave face, I don't know how I'm going to save this community.

"You need a break." She tells me. "I'm going to give your group a little lesson on healing techniques, and I want you to get some fresh air for a while. Dinner is in another hour so spend some time by yourself." She offers me a smile, and I return one back.

"Thank you." I say, appreciative. She turns back into the tent and I make my way towards the remains of the city, knowing what I'm going to do on my break.

Todd is the first person I see, despite the many people and spackle that are surrounding him. He's pointing his finger in different directions, ordering one group to pick up wood and the other to work on the buildings that somewhat stood in the field. Lee is by his side, doing the same thing, and it makes my heart happy, seeing them works as a team. They seem to be okay, and so I decide not to approach them. Instead I keep walking past the buildings and deep into the open fields that are surrounded by woods. I keep walking until I'm surrounded by the wilderness, and stop when I find a tall rock, perfect height for getting up and down on. I climb to the top and sit down on it's smooth surface. It's wide enough for me to lay on, and so I spread out my arms and legs, let my eyes close, and soak up this moment of peace that I find I don't get too often.

I've drifted into sleep, and I only know this because Noise jolts me awake. I gasp and sit up quickly, how long have I been out? I don't even know where I am, and it takes a moment of staring at the trees, and the rock, to remember that I came here for my break from healing training. I blink rapidly and sit up on the rock, perched like a cat. Who's Noise am I hearing? It's certainly not Todd's, or else I wouldn't of been scared by it. It's getting closer, which prompts me to leap off of the rock, into the bushes that surround it, and go into hiding. The Noise gets closer and closer.

And soon I detect not one-

But two sets of Noise-

And now I'm holding my breath-

And my heart seems to stop-

Because it's Matthew Lyle-

And 1017-

Both old enemies of Todd.

"It doesn't seem like he'll ever trust me." I hear Matthew say to 1017.

_**Don't worry. You just have to give him time. The knife is special. He can't hate people for too long. **_

Matthew's Noise grows uncertain.

"I don't know. I tried to kill him. How do you come back from that?"

_**It's not impossible. I actually killed him, remember? And he still found a way to forgive me. The key is that you have to mean it, and he will trust you easily.**_

Matthew nods his head. "Fair enough. That girl he's got is something else. I know she's just watching out for him, but he's a lost cause all wrapped around her finger."

It takes everything in me, absolutely everything, to not charge out of these bushes and question the both of them. Why are they talking about Todd and I? Why have they snuck away from their duties to gossip about their leaders? It's all very suspicious, and as much as I want to attack them both, I choose to keep listening.

_**Have some hope. He's not a lost cause, just a harder case to crack. I hear his father will begin training him to use his Noise like us. That will be helpful, when the time comes.**_

They exit the woods without saying anything more, and once I'm sure they're far enough away from me, I step out of the bushes and make my way back to the healing tents. As I'm walking, I replay everything they said in my head, trying to make sense of the conversation. Why does Matthew want to earn Todd's trust so badly, and why are they referring to him as a case to be cracked? I can't help but to feel that this is a dangerous situation for Todd, and it kills me that I can't just trust them.

But I can't do that-

Not when people could be at stake-

Not when Todd could be at stake-

(Is Todd at stake?-)

The tents are empty when I get back to the scout ship. Everyone must have gone to dinner at the campsite, and I'm the only one not in attendance. I make my way towards the smoke that I see burning against the pink sky, knowing that's where everyone is. I try to calculate ways to warn Todd without being too suspicious on my way there.

And I don't care what I compromise-

Or what unity I break-

He is the one I have to protect.


	20. Chapter 20

[Todd]

First thing I do is look around for Viola, but she's not here yet. My group got to the campsite for dinner first, so I'm standin by the fire, waitin and watchin as the other groups come in. I spot mistress Lawson with the healers following behind her, but no Viola.

I can't help but to feel worried.

"Where's Viola?" I ask Mistress Lawson when she gets here.

"I sent her on a break around an hour ago. She's fine dear, just needed some alone time."

Mistress Lawson walks past me to help Wilf and Jane give out the food. I'm a few seconds away from running out into the field, goin to look for her, when suddenly I feel someone's hand on my shoulder. It's Matthew Lyle. He's handing me a bowl of food, bread and soup, and he's got a smile on his face.

"Here you go, boss. Thought I'd grab you a bowl first. Thanks for everything today." He says, grinnin'. I look down at the food with curious eyes.

"Thanks, uh, but I'm not hungry." I lie. I sure as hell am hungry - after buildin' all day I cud probably eat four or five bowls. But there's no tellin' what Matthew could've done to my food. I feel awful, thinking thoughts like this, I'm supposed to be trustin' him, but I can't help it. One good day working with him doesn't change the past. I gotta stay smart about this.

"Suit yourself." Is all he says, then he walks off with the rest of the group. I see him sit down next to Lee on a log and they start chattin', laughin' even. This isn't the Matthew I remember. But I guess hard times can change people.

I go back to staring at the field when suddenly I see Viola's figure approaching the fire from the woods. She's running and looking around the campfire frantically. She spots me before I can put my hand up and wave to her.

"Hey." I say when she's standing in front of me.

"Hi." She says, out of breath.

"How'd the training go? Mistress Lawson said you ran off."

Viola takes a deep breath, then looks around the campsite, like she's trying to find someone. Her eyes settle on Matthew and now I see it, the alarm in her eyes.

"I found a cool place off in the woods. Want to see? Just the two of us." Viola says, frantic.

"You sound like a ruddy serial killer." I laugh at her, but a little worried. The seriousness on her face fades a bit and the edges of her lips curl up in a smile.

"What about dinner?" I ask Viola.

She shakes her head before taking my hand. My Noise stirs up.

"I'll take some with us." She says. "Wait here."

I watch Viola walk off to get in line, getting excited for this little adventure. It seems like we've been working and worrying for the last few days, and I cud use some alone time with her. My Noise is warmin' up, watching her speak kindly to Wilf and Jane, but my thoughts are interrupted when I hear Ben's Noise coming up behind me.

_**How's it going, Todd?**_ He asks me. It's weird hearing him all casual like this.

"Good, I guess. We got a lot done today." I tell him.

_**I know, I saw. They really take to you being their leader. **_

I shrug. I wasn't the best at giving orders and disciplinin', but I didn't have to be. My group listened to everything I said, and if they kept up at this rate, we'd be done before any storm set in. It's almost like they blindly trust in me, but hey, at least we're gettin' work done.

"Well, I'm no leader. Just doin' my part." I tell Ben.

_**Speaking of your part, do you want that lesson tonight? We've got the time after dinner once we get the settlers to their tents. **_

I swallow a lump in my throat, remembering what I decided to do about my Noise.

"Uh, yeah, sure. I'll find you after dinner." I say nervously. Ben nods at me just as Viola makes it back.

"Ready?" Viola says, appearing at my side. Her jacket pockets are full.

Ben looks twixt both of us, a suspicious smile creepin' up on his face. At first I think he's going to be mad at me, trying to sneak off, alone, in the dark, with Viola, and in my Noise I start to protest that I didn't have _those _intentions. But he stops me for' I say anything else.

"Meet me in an hour, then." He says to me without his Noise.

"Yeah. Thanks." I say, and he walks away.

I turn to look at Viola. "Lead the way."

She smiles, grabs my hand, and we run off in the darkness.

"Now I'm really starting to think you're a ruddy serial killer." I say to Viola. We aren't holding hands anymore, she's fast walking a few steps in front of me, and I'm lagging behind. I don't think I'm fully recovered from my coma yet, and I really overestimated my strength today. But the sight of Viola in front of me keeps me goin. And the fact that if I stop, I'll be lost in the middle of this forsaken forest she's brought me too.

"You gotta keep up, slow poke." Viola jokes, her voice echoing in the trees and over the quiet rumble of the river.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, attemptin' to keep myself from falling over in exhaustion. But when I open my eyes I run into Viola, who's standing still; she must've stopped when I had my eyes closed. I grab onto her shoulders so neither one of us loses our balance.

"Whoa, you okay there?" She says. I feel her turn around in my hands, now she's facing me. I can barely see her face in the almost darkness.

"Yeah. You walk too fast." I say, catching my breath. Viola cocks her head to the side, looking at me, serious now instead of joking.

"Todd, you're breathing really hard." Viola says, more so questioning me.

"Yeah. It was just a long day. So what do you wanna show me?" I try to divert her attenshun from me. I am tired, exhausted really, but I don't need Viola worrying about me on top of everything else. But she doesn't let it slide. She wouldn't be Viola if she did.

"Todd. Whats wrong?" She asks, crossing her arms.

I figure I won't win this one, so I tell her as simply as I can, "I'm just not used to working this hard, you know, after the coma. But gettin some food and sleep in me will probably make it better." I point to Viola's pockets, where I know the bread is.

She sighs impatiently, then sticks her hands in her pockets, pulling out the bread, and tries to hand me both pieces.

"You have one too." I say to her, takin one and leavin the other.

"You need it more than me." She says, trying to get me to take it. Instead I push her hand back towards her.

"You gotta eat too." I say, biting into my piece of bread. She's got worry written all over her face, turnin the bread around in her hand.

"What did you wanna show me?" I ask her between chews. She looks up at the giant rock next to us.

"Just this rock. It seems kind of silly now that we're here..." She starts, but I shake my head, disagreein'.

"I've been dyin' to get some alone time. You know, with you." I grab her hand and tug, pulling her towards the rock.

"Show me."

And she smiles-

Stepping onto the rock-

Leading the way-

Like she always does.

We get to the top flat surface of the rock. It looks over the river, which glows a little bit in the now completely dark forest, the only sound comin from the insects and my Noise. Viola and I sit side by side, our shoulders touching, and stay quiet for a moment.

"This is pretty." I tell her, breakin the silence.

"It is. Thought it would be a nice place to talk." She replies.

"And why's that?" I ask her.

Viola turns to look at me, a serious look on her face. "I have to tell you something, Todd. I'm not sure what to make of it, but you have to know."

I scrunch my eyebrows, worry raisin up in my Noise. "What is it?"

Viola takes a deep breath before continuing.

"I came here earlier today, just to get a break from work, when I saw Matthew Lyle and 1017 together."

I gulp nervously, feelin my dinner churning in my stomach. This can't be too good.

"And what were they doin?"

Viola hesitates before replyin. "I overhead them talking. About you, about us."

My silence prompts her to continue.

"Matthew Lyle was asking 1017 what it would take to get closer to you, and. 1017 told him that as long as Matthew is genuine, you'll forgive him. He also said that you're special, and that once you can use your Noise like them, you'll be useful. But for what, I don't know. They left before I could figure it out."

I blink a few times, takin all this information in. It's incredibly suspicious, the idea of Matthew Lyle and 1017, both enemies of mine, talkingworking together, behind our backs. If they had questshuns or concerns, they should've just come to me. But the fact that they didn't makes me real skeptical, and hot anger rises up in my Noise.

"I'll kill them both if they try somethin' funny." I don't mean to sound so furious, but it's natural, considerin all we been through. Fight or flight takes over any reason I have left.

Luckily, Viola is a good alternative. She places a hand on my arm and I feel myself calm down. Just a little bit. Just barely. Just enough to hear what else she's got to say.

"I'm suspicious too, Todd, trust me." She says. "But we've got to be smart about this."

I nod, knowin she's right. "If we confront em, and we're wrong, we'll look like bad leaders." I shudder at the thought of the settlers distrusting us, like we once did the mayor.

I'll do anything in my power not to be like him-

But if our safety is at stake-

I won't be able to hold that standard-

Cause at the end of it all-

There's only one person that I gotta keep safe-

"I'll keep my eye on em. They both work with me everyday." I say. Then I look to Viola.

"Don't go tryin to solve the problem on yer own. If anything else happens, you come to me first. We're a team, alright? We do this together."

And Viola nods her head at me, cuz she already knows.

"We ruddy well are."

Silence falls over us once again, and I swallow a lump in my throat. Even though we got our plan in place, I'm starting to get even more nervous about my Noise lesson with Ben. If 1017 is waitin' on me to learn so he can use it for somethin' "useful," shud I even be doing it in the first place? If I do, and 1017 has bad intentions, I cud get taken advantage of. But Ben is countin' on me to learn, for the sake of our community. My Noise starts rattling with all kinds of crazy thoughts and ideas:

_**Be the hero, Todd. YOU, it has to be you**_

_**Don't let BEN DOWN. You're Ben's son, not the mayor's, Don't be like the mayor again**_

_**SHE NEEDS YOU Viola, Viola, Viola, she brought you back don't let her down**_

_**You came back for a REASON you can't mess it up**_

_**They all left because of you, er, because of me, SIMONE, CILLIAN GONE**_

_**Save them, save everyone, save them save them save them**_

I press the pads of my fingertips to my temples, failin to block out the loud thoughts in my Noise. Viola puts a hand on my shoulder, tryin to calm me down, but even that doesn't work.

"Todd." She says, placing her hand on my chin and forcing me to look up at her.

"I told Ben I'd be there for everyone." I say through clenched teeth, feelin guilty for even considerin not following through.

But there is forgiveness in Viola's eyes as she holds my gaze. "There's nothing wrong with you saying no. Of course, it'll be helpful, but not if it puts you in danger. It's okay to put yourself first, Todd."

I tilt my head down, restin my cheek in the palm of her hand, feelin my eyes brim with tears. I've barely been awake for a week and already I'm makin life or death decisions. I'm in way over my head, why did I ever think I cud be a leader?

"Todd." Viola says, prompting me to look up.

"Viola."

And we don't say nothin else after that, cuz we already know what we mean. That we're here together, that we'll figure it out, that we'll be okay as long as we're together.

But as much as I believe it-

As much as I believe in her-

I know how bad things can really get-

And this is just the beginning of it.


	21. Chapter 21

Hey guys! Just an FYI, today is Patrick Ness's birthday, so I made every possible effort to post Chapter 21 in his honor! As always thank you for reading, I'm having a super fun time writing this fic and am glad you guys enjoy reading it. If there's anything you want to see or think needs improvement, let me know, I'm always open to suggestions!

{Viola}

Several days pass, and Todd and I still haven't cracked the case.

It's hard to, though, when we are working tirelessly for more than twelve hours a day. On top of teaching the new settlers how to heal, people are beginning to get sick, as the temperature is decreasing rapidly. Nearly twenty settlers have already caught terrible colds, and with limited people who know how to heal, I've pretty much been taking care of them all by myself. Even I am starting to show symptoms of illness, which leaves me with little will or energy for other tasks.

But I am still worried about Todd, who I sneak quick glances at through our tent while he works in the distant fields. Right now he's working alone, hammering on a piece of wood so forcefully that I can see puffs of cold air leaving his lips. Lately he's been keeping himself extra busy, trying to avoid his Noise lessons with Ben, at least until we know what 1017 and Matthew plan to do with it after. I told Todd to just talk to Ben, that if anyone would understand, it would be his own father. Todd said that he would, even though I know it's a lie, and not just because I read it in his Noise. But because he is selfless, and worried, and scared that if he doesn't do this, he will let everyone down. That he'll let me down.

I'm tired of seeing Todd like this, always worried about what everyone else needs. His life could be in danger, for all we know, yet he is still afraid that putting himself first is the wrong decision. So, I'll have to do it for him.

I'll have to settle this matter on my own.

I know that I promised Todd I wouldn't do anything without telling him first. But it is killing me to have to wait, to wait and watch and worry that at any moment, something bad will happen. If he isn't going to take initiative, I'll have to do it myself-

I'll have to confront 1017 myself.

"You're so lucky, Viola." I hear Steff say, snapping me out of my thoughts. I'm currently applying one of the herb patches to a lady's forearm, and stand up to address Steff once I'm done.

"And why is that?" I ask her. In the midst of all this chaos, I would love to know what makes me so fortunate.

"Cause. You're dating the cutest guy in this settlement." She states, pointing towards Todd through the tent. "If I knew he was what waited on this planet, I would've volunteered to come first in a heartbeat."

Steff doesn't realize how offensive her comment is, and not because she's obviously gushing over Todd in front of me. She doesn't understand the hardships that I faced, that we faced, and everything it took to get here. Steff wouldn't have made it two seconds on this planet on her own.

But I don't tell her this. I hardly have the energy to even think it to myself.

"Gee, thanks." Is all I offer instead.

Suddenly, Laura comes barreling through the tent, out of breath. She's just caught wind of the end of our conversation, and adds, "Steff, you're always so distracted. Looking at cute boys is not going to save us from the snowscape."

Steff gives her a deep scowl. "You're one to talk. You haven't even been here in the last _hour."_

I glare at Laura, her reference to Todd as cute getting a rise out of me, but more importantly, wondering where she's been all day. She notices me staring and somewhat corrects her statement, "I've been with Hildy. Sorry."

Her blush is an indication that she could be lying, but I don't push any further. Laura's infatuation with Todd is the least of my concerns right now. Her whereabouts during work hours, however, is stowed away in the back of my mind.

"Just get back to work." I tell the two of them. They walk away, and I sigh out of relief, turning my attention back to Todd. But instead of seeing him hard at work, Bradley is approaching me with Hildy at his side.

"How y'all holin' up over here?" she says with a smile. It amazes me how upbeat she can be, even in this impossible weather.

"Just came over to check on everyone." Bradley says, though his welcome is not so friendly. I sense worry in his Noise, and wonder what's going on.

"Um, we're all good here. People are starting to get sick but I think we'll be able to manage." I say.

"Well, dat shure is good ta hear. Laura's been tellin me all bout wut she's learnin'. Seems like she's really enjoyin it."

"Yeah, she's catching on quick." I say. "Was she just with you, Hildy?"

And she nods in agreement, "Shure was, just for a minute. I needed her help over at the food station."

"Oh." I say, taking Hildy's word for it. If there is anyone who wouldn't lie to me, it's her.

"Viola, are you alright? You look like you're getting sick." Bradley asks.

I shrug before responding, "I think so. But I'm fine."

Bradley doesn't look convinced, but before he can respond, Mistress Lawson runs up to the group.

"Oh, Bradley! Just the person I need to see. We've run into some issues with the heater on the scout ship, and if it isn't fixed soon, our sick patients will nearly freeze to death." 

Both Bradley and I wince at her use of "freeze to death." We know she only used it as a figure of speech, but it isn't particularly fitting for this occasion.

"Yes, of course. But first, Viola, we are going to have a council meeting tonight, before dinner. I'll come find you later." Bradley says, and I swallow a lump in my throat, hoping nothing has gone wrong.

It's just me and Hildy now, and after we watch Bradley and Mistress Lawson go, she looks to me.

"Viola, are yer sure yer alright there? You look real sick." She asks.

I shake my head, "Yes, I'm okay. I'll take some medicine and be fine tomorrow."

But Hildy is not convinced. She raises her hand to my forehead, pressing the back of it against my skin.

"Yer burnin' up." She says to me.

"Or maybe your hands are just excessively cold." I say, trying to joke with her, but she does not by it.

"Viola, you gotta make sure yer takin care of yerself too, ya hear?"

"I am, Hildy. Don't worry about me."

But instead of pushing me any further, she reaches for my elbow and tugs slightly.

"Let's go fer a walk. Just yer and me, soun' good?"

I am reluctant to agree, as there is a lot to be done at the healing station, though a moment with Hildy would be a nice break from the work. It would also be a good opportunity to ask her questions about Matthew, and maybe get some insight on what he has planned. So I follow along with her, into the chilly winter air.

"Seems like jus' yesterday we were walkin' jus' like dis, side by side, headed ta me an Tam's house." Hildy says, reminiscing on when she first met Todd and me. I smile, just a little, to myself.

"That was a different world back then." I say, hands stuffed in my coat pockets and eyes fixed to the ground.

"Crazy dat you an' Todd completely changed it all fer us. It ain't perfect, but it's better than wut we had, I can tell ya dat." She says, now pointing into the fields where Todd and his group are working. "Y'all even got Matthew co-operatin' wit others. Aint that somethin'?!"

It is something, indeed.

"Why the sudden change of heart from Matthew?" I ask Hildy outright. And she doesn't hesitate to respond.

"He's been thru a lot. Losin' his family, losin' his home. Same as all of us. I also think by bein' round the Spackle, he's learnin' to accept dis world for wut it is. Tired of tryna fight against it." Hildy says, turning her attention towards me, raising her eyebrows at my unconvincing look.

"Wut, yer still don't trust em?" she asks me.

I wonder if I should tell her what I heard, and almost decide to, but vote against it. Even if Hildy had information, it would do us no good to gossip about our settlers. Not until we know the truth.

"It's not that I don't trust him." I lie, something I am beginning to do with ease. "I'm just curious."

Hildy only nods her head, and the two of us turn our attention to the men in the field. My eyes naturally wander to Todd, who I know sees me, because my name is spiraling around in his Noise. Hildy comments on this right away.

"That Todd pup shure has an eye fer ya, doesn't he?" she says. My cheeks heat up at this statement.

"Umm, yes?" I reply. No one has really addressed Todd and I like this before. I always thought it was assumed, what we are to each other. It's kind of strange, hearing it out loud.

"And you shure have eyes fer him too. I seen it since the first day I met cha, when you wouldn't even talk to em."

And I smile, thinking back to those times, when the world was just as chaotic as it is now, but with Todd by my side ever since.

"Yeah. I ruddy do."

"Y'all ever talk bout gettin' married?"

I whip my head towards Hildy, shock written all over my face.

"What? Married? We're barely old enough!" I say. My yelling gets Todd's attention, as I hear his Noise asking "what's going on over there?"

"So wut? You can luv someone at any age. Plus, you an Todd done been thru more than most married couples have! It don't make no sense that you aren't married. That I'll tell ya."

I blink, still shocked at the idea of me and Todd getting married. We're still so young, and on top of that, fighting for a better and safer _world_ for thousands of people. When there will be time for a wedding, I do not know.

But when I look out at the field, watching Todd walking over to us, I see the one person, the one person in this whole world, that I cannot live without. I never intended on not living the rest of this life, however long that may be, without him.

And suddenly, Hildy's crazy idea doesn't seem so crazy, after all.

But that conversation is put on hold once Todd is standing in front of us.

"What are you two over here causing all the noise for?" he asks us.

"Oh, nothin'. I was just tellin' Viola here that you two shud-"

"Ah-hem!" I interrupt her. With everything going on, I don't need Todd contemplating a proposal to me also. There is enough for him to worry about as it is.

Hildy's eyes go wide, getting the hint, before she speaks up again.

"Ohhhh, right. Well, I best be goin' now. Dinner ain't gonna cook itself!" And with that, it is just me and Todd.

"What was that about?" Todd asks, crossing his arms in his puffy coat.

"Uhh, nothing." I stutter. Todd makes a face, like he doesn't believe me.

"No secrets. Remember?" He says simply, and I feel a tug at my heart, knowing that my plan to speak to 1017 betrays that promise.

But for the moment, I am honest with him.

"Hildy thinks that we should get married."

And surprisingly, Todd's face doesn't change at all. He actually - _smiles._

"And we will."

I'm taken aback by his reaction, almost at a loss for words, before I manage to reply,

"Wait… what do you mean?"

"I mean, I always thought we would. Eventually." Todd says. Then he looks out to the settlement, at everyone working to rebuild our community. "Once all of this is over."

"Like… like right after?"

Todd shrugs, "Something like that."

"Todd, I'm confused?"

"Viola, why?"

I cock my head to the side at his imitation of me.

"Because! You've never mentioned it before."

"I just assumed I didn't have to. I know how I feel. And I know how you feel too."

And instead of pushing further, I smile, knowing that he's right. Nothing has to be explained, or figured out, or discussed, because Todd and I know what we are. And we're going to be that, really be that, once this is all over.

If it is ever over.

Which brings me to my next point.

"So, have you heard anything new? About 1017 or Matthew?"

My question seems to hinder Todd's mood, as I watch his shoulders fall and eyes divert to the ground, away from my questioning gaze.

"Nothin' yet. Matthew's been the same, real helpful and all that. But 1017 hasn't been around much today."

I turn to look at the field, and notice that 1017 isn't anywhere to be found, and if I had noise, it would be swirling with alarm. Where else could he be, besides helping with the community?

"Isn't that suspicious to you?" I ask Todd, who only nods slightly.

"It is. But wut can we do about it?"

"I don't know, bring it up to Ben? He can't just come and go as he pleases. We have things to do before this place gets even worse."

Todd looks up at me, and I can tell that he understands what I'm saying, but doesn't want to act on it.

"I'm just worried about startin something that ain't true, you know?"

"Yes, but Todd, we know what he and Matthew have planned-"

"Not the whole thing, Viola-"

"But it's enough to be concerned-"

"I'm handlin' it, trust me-"

"How are you handling it, Todd? Have you talked to Ben about your Noise? Have you been paying attention to what 1017 and Matthew are saying? What they're doing? Cause it seems to me that you're just waiting until something bad-"

But before I can finish my long-winded statement I fall into a fit of coughs, letting them out with my hands on my knees until it's over. Then Todd steps closer to me, grabbing my elbow lightly and staring into my eyes with concern.

"Are you gettin' sick?"

I shake my head, giving him the same excuse I've given everyone else, "It's just a little cold. I'll be okay after getting some rest tonight."

But Todd doesn't acknowledge my statement. Instead he lets go of my elbow and cups my face with his hands, checking my temperature. He holds me like this for a moment, his thumb tracing small circles on my cheek, his face growing with more worry by the second.

"Yer burnin' up, Viola." He tells me. "You gotta see Mistress Lawson. Right now."

He grabs my hand, pulling me towards the healing station, but I stiffen up so he can't move me.

"Todd. Stop trying to avoid this situation."

His face grows with slight irritation. "I'm not avoidin' nothin'! Yer sick, Viola. Can you just please get checked?"

I let his hand go and cross my arms.

"Only if you deal with what's going on."

Todd huffs before responding. "Wut do you want me to do? We said we were gonna wait it out before making rash decisions, right? That's wut we're doin.'"

And as much as I want to argue back, I take a deep breath and nod in agreement, instead. Not because I actually agree, but because of the desperate look on Todd's face. I can tell that he is tired, and anxious, and worried about me, and my eagerness to figure this all out should not be placed on him.

Again-

This is something I'll just have to figure out on my own.

"Okay. I'll let it go." I tell him. And he smiles, just some, just a little bit.

"Good, then. Let's go." Todd says, offering his hand, which I take. We walk like this toward the healing station together, in comfortable silence, until we are met with an abundance of Noise inside the tent. The rest of the healers are gone – there is only Bradley, Mistress Lawson, and now, 1017. They all look up, fear on their faces, and I feel my stomach drop when I see the pieces of paper they have in hand. Scrawled all over them, in black paint, reads the horrible sayings,

**KILL THE SPACKLE!**

**GET RID OF THOSE FREAKS!  
**

**I AM THE CIRCLE AND THE CIRCLE IS ME!**

I gasp in complete shock, taken aback by the hateful propaganda that I haven't seen in so long. How has this happened, after everything we've done to prevent it from occurring again? Todd is also shocked, completely frozen in place as his eyes wander to the nine words he has fought so hard to escape. But even though his body is still, his Noise is not. It is outraged, afraid, confused – wondering how such a thing could happen.

And now I know-

That what I've feared from the beginning-

Was true all along-

We are not-

In any way-

Safe anymore.

"Todd, Viola." Bradley starts. "This is what we needed to discuss. The rest of the council is on their way now to sort this out-"

But Bradley doesn't finish, as Todd has finally decided to speak, his hand tightening around mine.

"I'm not going to let this happen again."


	22. Chapter 22

Hey hey! I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to post this chapter - life and school have been super crazy and I honestly had a hard time getting my ideas down. But I love writing this story and am committed to finishing it - so I hope you guys enjoy! As always I'm open to suggestions, and I'm gonna try to post a couple more chapters before the weekend is over :) have fun reading!

[Todd]

I'm already fightin' to keep the words out of my mind, but it's real hard to protect my Noise from the controlling power of that saying.

I am-

The circle-

And the circle-

(Shut-up!)

I gotta tear my eyes away from the poster that 1017 is holdin', or else I won't be able to control my Noise. Viola's voice sounds muffled as she's shoutin' with Bradley and pointin' at the poster and the others are tryin' to calm her down. And outta nowhere, I just can't take it anymore, just can't take all the noise, and I squeeze Viola's hand before I say to everyone.

"I'm not lettin' this happen again."

At that, Ben and Lee join us in the tent. They both look to the poster, then look to me. Lee must've not known about it either, cuz crazy questions are comin' up in his Noise, but Ben is just lookin' at me, all concerned.

"Todd-" Ben starts, without using his Noise.

"When did this happen?" I say towards Ben, but it's meant for everyone.

_**We don't know. It was brought to my attention this morning by a few spackle in the community. I've been spending the whole day taking them down. **_1017 tells us.

Oh. So that's where he's been all day. I cut my eyes to Viola, and she looks down, like she's embarrassed from accusin' him earlier.

"I don't understand how this could've happened. All we've been promoting is peace and trust-" Mistress Lawson trembles. She's on the verge of tears.

"Chaos is inevitable. We should have never expected for things to be perfect." Viola says at my side. She knew this would happen all along, that something bad was bound to occur, and I didn't listen to her.

But now I hear her, hear them, loud and clear.

And I'm the only one who can fix it.

"So what are we going to do?" Lee finally asks the question we're all thinking.

"Nothing." I say before anyone else can. They got confused looks on their faces, except for Viola. She let's go of my hand and gives me a pointed look, reading the idea in my Noise before I even say it.

"Todd. No." She says, disapprovin' of my plan to use my Noise like Ben. I know we talked about holding off til' we had more information on 1017 and Matthew Lyle's plan, but right now, this seems more dangerous than anything the two of them were tryna pull off. Not only are people going against the spackle, wanting to kill them even, but they're using the mayor's words to do it. And if there is one thing I can't allow, it's for my Noise to be silenced, for me to have the power to control people, for me to possibly end up like the mayor again. How do I know I won't go back to bein' a bad person? How do I know I won't take advantage of the settlers? The only way possible is to be the complete opposite of that.

So I ignore Viola's protest, and look straight to Ben.

"Like I said, you all have nothing to do. I'm the one who needs to fix this."

Ben gives me a soft nod, like he's already understandin' where I'm coming from.

But Viola ain't too happy about it.

"Todd! It's all of our responsibility to fix this-"

"Viola, you know what I mean." I say, lookin' at her now. I search her eyes for any understandin', but she doesn't want to give it to me. Instead I see anger rising up in her face, if she had Noise it would burst with rage. But it's somethin' we'll just have to figure out later.

Cuz right now, this is wut I've got to do.

"I want the Noise lesson today, Ben. The only way we're gonna convince these people that the spackle are safe, that this land is safe, is if I show them. They'll listen to me." I say, more confident than I feel.

_**I'm glad you've realized that, Todd. We can start tonight. **_Ben tells me, and I nod. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, but I can't let that show right now. Especially with Viola's disapproving eyes set right on me.

"I agree with you, Todd." Bradley states. "But we also need to put some consequences in place, for those who don't honor our proposition of peace."

"What kinds of consequences?" Lee asks. Somehow he's made his way over to Viola, standin' real close to her.

"That's something we'll have to discuss. A prison system maybe? Banishment from the settlement?" Bradley proposes, but Viola only shakes her head.

"No, that won't work. We're promoting peace, remember? We can't get rid of our own citizens. We fought for this land, for this life, for _them_." She says.

"But without punishment, things of this nature will continue to happen." Bradley argues. "I know you want to believe that everything will be okay, Viola, but-"

"I never said I thought everything would be okay." She interrupts him, anger complimenting her words. "In fact, that's the exact opposite of what I said. I tried to tell you all that things wouldn't be perfect, and that's exactly what's happening. But that was before we promised them all a life of freedom and peace. We can't go back on that now."

"But Viola.." Mistress Lawson joins, "How else will we punish the ones responsible for this? And keep it from happening again?"

Everyone looks to her for the answer, even me. She crosses her arms and points a dangerous glare towards 1017 before responding.

"Well, first we have to know who to punish. How do we know this was someone from the community who did this, and not one of the spackle?" She says, accusing 1017. I grab her elbow, tryin' get her to stop, tryin' to prevent her from going too far, but she just shrugs me away. She's in one of those moments now, when she really believes in somethin', and there's no use in tryin' to stop her.

1017 looks down at the poster, then back up at Viola.

_**Why would you assume the Spackle would do such a thing? **_He says to her.

She shrugs before continuing, "You're quick to accuse our people for doing this, but forget that you have a suspicious past, too. There was a point in time when you didn't trust us, wanted to kill us, even. This could easily just be an act to frame our people and make us look like something we're not. Make us look like the enemy."

"Viola, what are yer doin-" I try to tell her, but she just shushes me.

"Stop it, Todd. You made your statement, now let me make mine."

And with that, I feel the distance grow even more between us.

1017 takes a minute before he responds.

_**I know you're still learning to trust me, Viola, but I promise this was not an attempt to frame your people. I hoped that the Spackle's commitment to re-building your community would prove to you that we are on the same side, but I suppose it will take more than that. If it makes you feel any better, I don't think we need to punish your people. Division is not what we want. **_

"So then what do you want?" Viola spits out.

He takes a deep breath before continuing.

_**I think the Knife's commitment to learning our language will be beneficial enough- **_

"Of course you do." Viola interrupts him. "You just want Todd to learn the Land's language because-"

"Viola, don't." I say to her, trying to prevent her from telling everyone what she overheard the other night. She stops her sentence but doesn't look over at me.

"Viola, that's enough." Bradley reprimands her, in a way that makes it obvious she'll be in trouble with him later. He then turns his attention to 1017. "Now what do you think will be most helpful to the Spackle in this situation?"

1017 looks at us all, then responds.

_**I'd like to join you all on the council. You are already doing great work on your own, but having representation for the Spackle will give us a voice, and help your people trust our kind. **_

It's quiet in the room before everyone starts shaking their head, agreein' with his idea, except for Viola.

_**Our community includes Spackle and humans now. It only makes sense to represent both. That's what is fair. **_Ben confirms.

"I agree." Mistress Lawson, now. "The Spackle have been very helpful during this difficult time. They deserve a voice, just as much as we do."

Bradley shakes his head in agreement, then looks over at me and Viola and Lee. "That makes three of us. What do you all think?"

"It's a good idea. We shud of done it a long time ago." I say, earning a scoff from Viola. She doesn't say how she feels – it's already implied.

"Why don't we hold off on a decision? Wilf and Jane aren't here to vote right now." Lee says, tryin' to be the mediator in the situation.

And it seems to work, cuz Viola is a little more relaxed beside me and the energy in the tent calms down just a little. But not enough to get rid of our worries.

_**Good call, Lee. **_Ben says. _**We'll have a decision made by tomorrow. In the meantime, we need to address the community about what's going on, and let them know that this can't be tolerated. This is a New World, and division between the spackle and us humans will not persist. **_

At that saying, Viola lets out a violent cough, and I can't tell if it's she's bein' sarcastic or if the sickness is gettin' the best of her. Either way, I turn to her side, givin' her a concerned look.

"You really need to get some rest." I tell her, but she acts as if she doesn't want to hear it.

"I'll be fine." She says, pushin' past me and towards the opening of the tent. Lee's gaze follows Viola as she exits, but I actually go after her.

"Viola, wait!" I call, and she stops in her tracks to turn and face me. The cold wind violently tosses her hair around, and she's got a firm look on her face.

"What is it, Todd?" she shouts.

I shove my hands in my pockets, shiverin' from both the cold and her piercing gaze. I hate havin' fights with Viola, hate it when we disagree, and I want to make it right before it's gets too bad.

"Can you please just give me a minute to explain?" I plead.

"You didn't need a minute to explain when you made the decision to use your Noise without me. What happened to waiting until we got more information on 1017 and Matthew? What happened to talking to Ben about what we know before putting yourself in danger?"

I huff out a long sigh, frozen air escaping from my lips.

"I know yer upset, Viola, but this was a choice I had to make on my own. You saw what that sign said, someone wants to kill the spackle and use the mayor's words to do it. If I don't step up now, everyone is going to be in danger. And I can't let something bad happen to everyone. Especially not to you."

Viola looks down to the ground, then back up to me. "But what if using your Noise like Ben puts _you _in danger, Todd?"

I shrug my shoulders. "That's a risk we just gotta take."

Viola throws her hands up angrily, then lets them fall back down to her sides. "That's not fair, Todd! You say you want to protect us, protect me, but you aren't taking into consideration how you being in danger makes me feel. The only reason I don't trust 1017 is because he killed you, Todd, and I am terrified of that happening again."

"It won't happen again, Viola. Usin' my Noise like Ben will be harmless. Don't you see how well he can communicate with the Spackle? They trust him because of it, and if I learn, they'll trust me to. A better connection to them may just get rid of any tension between our people and theirs."

"But you don't know if it's safe, Todd. 1017 knows a lot more about this world than us. He could easily be using this agaist you."

"It works fine for Ben-"

"But he's only been using it for a few months! 1017 has a plan to use your Noise for something, Todd, and it may not be a good thing."

I just stare at her, cuz I know she's right, but I can't find it in me to agree.

Cuz as long as the mayor's words exist-

Fighting their way into my brain-

Tryin' to take over my Noise-

Tryin' to take over our New World-

That we fought so hard to create-

I will do whatever it takes-

To stop it-

To save our world-

To save everyone.

I reach out for Viola's hand, and I'm surprised she lets me take it. Tears are fillin' in her eyes and it kills me that she's hurting, especially from a decision I'm making without her.

"I promise we'll be okay." I tell her as lovingly as possible.

"I hope so." She says quietly. "I'm sorry for lashing out on you, on everyone. I'm just scared that something horrible is going to happen again."

And I don't' say anything more because she's started cryin', and instead pull her towards me, into a tight embrace. We stand like that for a long while, feelin' the weight of the situation, tryin' our best to believe that it's all going to be okay. But the truth is, I don't know if it will be, if I can really promise that I can fix everything.

But for this New World, and especially for Viola, I'm ruddy well goin' to try.

_**Todd! **_I hear Ben call my name from the healing tent. Me and Viola separate as he and Bradley walk up to us.

_**Are you ready for your lesson? **_

I look at Viola, who gives me a nod, then face Ben.

"Ready as ever." I say.

Ben smiles, then claps me on the shoulder. _**Alright, let's go. **_

And I walk off with my father, towards the forest, leaving the chaos of the community behind us. But not before hearing Bradley say very angrily to Viola,

"I need to have a word with you."


	23. Chapter 23

{Viola}

Bradley doesn't say anything more, just turns around and heads into the direction of the scout ship. I begin to respond to his harsh statement but let out a series of violent coughs instead, and they continue as I follow him towards the ship. We have ascended the ramp and are inside when my coughing fit stops, and Bradley finally turns to look at me, anger written on his face, rage filling his Noise.

"I don't know what's gotten into you."

I sigh, not in the mood for a lecture, but if he wants to play this game, so be it.

"A cold, Bradley. And probably a fever. That's what's gotten into me. So will you please let me lay down for a moment and get better so that I can tend to the rest of our community? Because _some _of us are still committed to saving these people from the storm that's coming."

I say it harsher than I intend, but my tone doesn't seem to faze Bradley. Instead he stands there, hands on his hips, scolding me as if he were an angry father or something.

"We're all committed to saving the settlers from what's coming, Viola. And so is 1017. The way you came at him just now was completely rude and unnecessary."

I sigh heavily before pushing past Bradley and into the healing room of the ship. Once inside, I reach into a medical kit and grab a warm cloth, lay down on one of the beds, and place the cloth over my eyes. I try to relax but can't, as my muscles are too tense and my mind is racing with a million thoughts. Most, if not all, containing my worries for Todd.

"This doesn't look like helping to me." Bradley judges, standing in the entryway of the room.

"I'm sick, Bradley. There's nothing I can do for our people if I get any worse."

"And there is nothing 1017 can do for the spackle if he is being attacked."

I sit up quickly at this statement. "He isn't being attacked, Bradley. He was probably the one who put those signs up!"

Bradley shakes his head at this accusation.

"Why would he do something like that-"

"To frame us." I say automatically.

"Frame us for what?"

"I don't know, Bradley! Probably for killing his family. And for enslaving him. And for taking over his land. The same thing he's been mad about since all of this started!"

"That can't be it, Viola. He's proven multiple times that he's forgiven us for that and wants to help re-build our community and prepare for the coming storm-"

"It's just a lie, Bradley. He's acting as if he's innocent when really he's been plotting against us."

Bradley lets out a frustrated sigh, but doesn't give up on trying to understand where I'm coming from. He sits down on the bed adjacent to mine and continues to question me.

"What information do you have to prove that, Viola?"

And I gulp, tempted to tell Bradley what I overheard 1017 say the other night in the woods, but also afraid to betray the promise that I made to Todd. That we'd figure this out together, on our own, before making any irrational decisions.

But hadn't Todd broken that same promise-

Choosing to use his Noise like the Land-

Knowing that it could potentially be dangerous-

Knowing that I wasn't comfortable with it-

But chose to do it anyways?

After pondering this question, I do not feel bad, confessing my discovery to Bradley, without Todd's consent.

"I overhead 1017 and Matthew talking about Todd. They said that once he was able to use his Noise like the Land, it would be useful, _when the time comes._"

Bradley furrows his eyebrows.

"And it will be useful, Viola. His connection to the Land will show our people that the Spackle are harmless, that they can be trusted."

But I shake my head in disagreement.

"But the way they spoke of him made it seem like they had a secret plan. This was also before the signs were put up, before there was any apparent conflict between our people and the Spackle. So what is it they needed his Noise for, if there were no attacks on his people back then? Don't you think that's suspicious?"

Bradley looks to the ground now, taking in all of this information, but I don't give him the chance to respond before continuing my argument.

"1017 knows that Todd feels guilty for all the things he did to the Spackle. Because of that guilt, Todd is easily influenced when it comes to helping people. So 1017 has to be using these fake attacks as a way to guilt Todd into learning the Land's language. But really, he wants to use Todd's Noise for something else, something secretive. And I don't bloody trust it."

I lay back down after finishing my statement, even more convinced that I am right after hearing it said out-loud. Bradley takes a moment to ponder this idea, still staring at the ground, many different thoughts swirling around in his Noise, and I take this moment to finally close my eyes and rest. Of course, it doesn't work, because I am still on edge, still distracted by the worries that fill up my mind. But finally, Bradley's Noise slows down, and he looks to me before speaking.

"You make a really interesting point, Viola."

I nod in agreement, my eyes still closed.

"That's why we can't let him on the council. Even if his plan to use Todd's Noise isn't bad, he's still keeping things from us. He and Matthew both."

"The only way we'll know for sure is if we question them."

I pause, knowing that Todd doesn't want to bring up the incident and start unnecessary conflict, doesn't want to lose their trust if our accusation is wrong. But it's getting harder and harder for me to worry about what he wants right now. His safety, our community's safety, is much more important to me than that.

Even if that means putting distance between us.

I cough some more before responding.

"Yes, we do. And soon, before Todd learns the language and something goes wrong." I barely get that sentence out before more coughs follow. Bradley gives me a concerned look and gets up from the bed.

"You're sicker than I thought." He says, placing the back of his hand on my forehead. "We'll table this discussion until tomorrow. But right now, you need to be tended to."

I begin to protest, but Bradley only shushes me. He then pulls out a com device and calls Mistress Lawson, who claims she is busy, but says she will send a group of healers to bring me medicine in just a moment.

I would have complained about the pair that she sends over if I wasn't so tired and sickly to get the words out. So I let Steff and Laura work, placing healing patches on my skin for my aching muscles and giving me medicine to lower the fever. Laura is now tucking me in under the covers while Steff lays in the bed adjacent to mine, going on a rant like she usually does.

"How come you get to chill in this nice room while the rest of the settlers are stuck on cots outside?"

Laura stops fumbling with my covers and turns around towards Steff.

"Would you hush, Steff? Viola is way sicker than those people and she's one of our _leaders._ She deserves special treatment."

I shake my head at them both. "Please don't say that, Laura. There isn't any special treatment happening here. I just happened to be on the ship when Bradley called for you guys-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Steff states, getting up. "Just take the medicine and enjoy the favoritism. Gosh, Viola, you never learned how to just relax, did you?"

I start to tell her that I can't relax, that there is no time to relax, not in a world as chaotic as this one, but I'm too tired and in too much pain to make the comment.

She comes over to my bed with a final dose of medicine. "Take it. It's your last dose."

I try to sit up but am too weak to do it. Laura helps me, and then I take a sip of the medicine, scoffing at how gross it tastes, and pushing it away from my lips.

"What is this, even?" I ask them, unfamiliar with this particular concoction.

"It's for your cough." Laura suggests, but I just furrow my eyebrows.

"What I've taken should be enough, right?" I haven't always been the best healer, but I'm familiar enough with the medicines to know that this certainly isn't one of them.

"You're sicker than you think, Viola, and it'll only get worse if you don't finish it all."

But I don't trust it, I know better than that. I shake my head in response.

"Don't want it. But thank you two for taking care of me."

Laura only shrugs and places the medicine at my side.

"Well, it's there if you need it. And so are we. Just comm us if you need anything."

I nod at her with a small smile, genuinely grateful for their help but eager for them to leave so I can finally get some rest.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'd much rather stay in this ship than in the cold-" Steff states, but Laura grabs her elbow and drags her through the entryway.

"Would you stop being so difficult? Viola needs her rest!"

I listen to them bicker until they are walking through the control room, saying goodbye to Bradley and exiting the ship. I let out a very deep sigh, taking in this moment of solitude to myself. I reflect on the day, wondering if my revelation to Bradley will actually make a difference, worrying myself sick over Todd being okay. I begin to really miss him, his Noise, his touch, his voice, and figure that thinking about him is too much for me to bare right now. So I do my best to abandon these thoughts, closing my eyes, allowing the medicine to lull me to sleep, until I am finally unconscious and free from this chaos.

…

I inhale sharply and jolt awake at the sound of Noise above me.

"Slow down, Viola. Yer okay."

It's Todd. He's sitting beside my bed on a stool, one of his hand's clutching mine, the other placed on my shoulder.

"Todd?" I say, tired and somewhat confused.

He laughs at me a little. "Yeah, it's me. Hello to you too, sleepy head."

I look around the room, unsure of where I am, until I recognize I am on the scout ship, that I fell asleep here after being tended to. But somehow, that feels like ages ago.

"How long was I asleep? How- how long have you been gone? What even happened-"

Todd shushes me, soothingly rubbing circles on my back. "You've been asleep for a whole day. But I was only gone for a few hours. Haven't left yer side since gettin' back."

I don't say anything, just hold my breath, letting the memories of yesterday's events come back to me. 1017, the hate signs, Todd's Noise, me and Bradley's conversation, Laura and Steff, the suspicious medicine, falling asleep, and now –

Todd.

Todd.

He's back.

He's finally back.

I tug on Todd's hand and pull him towards me, wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my face into his shoulder. He does the same, holding me tightly around the waist, and I smile slightly, happy that he has made it back okay.

"I was so worried about you." I tell him, tears threatening to spill. I know that I will have to confess what I did, how I told Bradley what I promised I wouldn't, but I try not to think about that now, and just revel in the fact that he's here, that he's okay, that what I feared hasn't happened to him.

Yet.

"I was worried about you, too. I didn't know you were that sick." Todd let's go of me and sits back on the stool, but I pat the spot next to me, offering him a spot on the bed. He takes it, sitting so close that our shoulders are touching, and grabs my hand.

"I didn't either." I say, feeling safer and warmer just with him by my side. "Must have been the medicine."

"Probably. How are yer feelin' now?"

I raise a palm to my forehead and check my temperature. Still pretty hot.

"I think I'm still sick. But I feel a little bit better." I say. Then, I prepare to present him with a question that I am very afraid to ask.

"How did the Noise lesson go?"

And then Todd looks at me, a wide smile stretching across his face, before responding in the strangest, but most beautiful way possible.

_**Better than ever. **_


	24. Chapter 24

[Todd]

Viola just stares at me, fear and confusion and maybe sadness in her eyes. I can tell she ain't too thrilled about my Noise, but this reaction is better than what I expected. She's just sitting there, silent as ever. It's the quietest she's been in a long time actually, and it's kinda strange not hearing her yellin' or complain' or tryin' to control somethin'.

"I can still hear everything you're thinking, you know." She finally says to me, jokingly, but also unsure, afraid to be playful with me since I'm a little different now.

_**Right. Sorry. **_I say back, this time with my new Noise. I give her a small smile, but she doesn't return it.

"I can hear you a little too well, actually."

Viola shifts in the bed. Not enough to where her silence isn't pressin' into me, but our shoulder's aren't touching anymore. I can tell she's uncomfortable and decide to speak normally.

"What? You don't like it?" I ask her, really hoping that if she doesn't, she'll lie and say she does, or that she'll try to get used to it.

Because despite what Viola thinks-

And what she is afraid of-

I don't think I'll be able to let it go-

Don't think I ever will-

Cuz using my Noise like this-

Being this connected-

Being this free-

Is one of the best things that has ever happened to me.

But right now I'm looking at the first best thing, searching her eyes for an answer, and after a minute of thinking she finally offers her thoughts to me.

"It's just… different. That's all."

"But no different than how Ben uses it. And yer used to that, yeah?"

Viola nods before speaking.

"It's just weird, coming from you. Not hearing your voice. It's like hearing someone else."

I smile. This reaction isn't as bad as I thought it would be.

"You just need to get used to it." I tell her.

"Yeah. Probably." She says, looking down at the covers and then back up. "Can I hear it again?"

_**Sure. **_I say to her with my Noise. _**What do you want me to say? **_

The tiniest hint of a smile crosses her face before she snuggles under the covers and lays her head on my chest. I wrap an arm around her shoulder.

"Hmm. What's your favorite season?" she asks.

_**Ah, yer questions again. **_I say. _**Tell me yours first. **_

Viola thinks a moment before replying. "Well, it used to be winter. But this snowscape really has me thinking otherwise."

I laugh through my Noise, which startles Viola, but then she joins me by giggling just barely, just a little.

_**Well why was it winter? Before the snowscape?**_

"I think it's because it reminds me of Christmas."

_**Christmas?**_

"Todd!" Viola shouts, her mouth gaped open, like she can't believe what I've said.

_**What is it?**_

She sits up and playfully nudges my arm.

"Are you effing serious? You don't know what Christmas is?"

_**Yer forgetting I'm not from your world. **_

She settles back down and nods.

"Right, right. It's just a holiday we celebrated on Earth, or the ship, I should say. A day to spend with the people you love by giving them gifts and spending time together."

_**Giving gifts to the people you love just because it's cold outside? **_

This time, Viola let's out a laugh.

"Yes, Todd. Something like that." Viola says. "But I think my new favorite season would be spring. Much better than what we're in now."

I nod in agreement, pulling her closer to me.

_**And it's when we first met, too.**_

"Exactly. Like when we met." This time Viola sits up and looks at me, really looks at me. "It's funny thinking back to that day. I was so scared of your Noise then."

I smile, then nudge her shoulder. _**Just like you're scared of it now.**_

Viola tilts her head to the side. "I am not _scared_ of it now. It's just very different from the Todd I know. But, like I said before, if I could get used to it then, I can get used to it now."

My eyes go wide at her sudden change in heart.

_**What made you change your mind? Cuz before you were really against it. **_

Viola sighs and shakes her head before continuing. "I was wrong, Todd. I can't say that your Noise isn't strange to me now. But it's also… very beautiful. Magical, even. It's like I can feel everything you're saying, rather than just hear it. I feel much closer to you. I feel the truth in everything you're saying."

And she keeps goin' on, making me smile, even wider.

"And now, I see the benefit in using it this way. The settlers will know that what you say is true, that the Spackle aren't dangerous. And the Spackle will see that you're trustworthy, because they'll be able to feel your truth. And….I'm sorry that I never gave it a chance before."

She looks down at the covers, but not before I see her eyes glossin' over, and I softly grab her chin with my hand, bringin' her gaze up to mine.

_**It's okay, Viola. It's only cuz you were worried. I know you meant well. **_

Now, a tear falls from her eye and onto her cheek. I wipe it away with my thumb as she bites her lip before responding.

"Still, it's not okay, how irrational I've been acting. It's clear that this is going to be helpful, but more importantly, it makes you happy. And you deserve to be." She says, pressing her cheek into the palm of my hand.

And I don't know what else to say-

Don't know how else I can prove to her-

That even though my new Noise is amazing-

Different from anything I've ever felt before-

She is more than what I deserve to have-

And the only thing I can't live without-

But luckily I don't have to say that-

Cause Viola can hear it clearly from me now-

Feel it clearly from me now-

That I love her-

That I forgive her-

That I am always here for her-

And I can tell that she hears me now-

Her cheeks flushing red-

Her pulse speeding up underneath my fingertips-

And now I'm leaning in towards her-

And her eyes are closing-

And my heart is pounding-

And then-

I kiss her.

It is sweet, and soft, and gentle, and my Noise is full of warmth. After a moment, Viola and I separate, pressing our foreheads against one another.

"Todd-" she starts, but I stop her, cuz I just got to say it, just got to finally say it.

"I love you, Viola." I whisper, using my regular voice. I want the first time she hears it to come from me, from the Todd that she knows.

Viola lifts her head and looks at me in the eyes. Her lips curl into a small smile, but there is still sadness written all over her face.

"Todd-" she says again.

"You don't have to say it back. But that's what I feel. With everything goin' on, I'm realizin' how important you are to me, how much I-"

"I love you too, Todd. More than you know."

I smile, knowing that she does, but glad to hear her confirm it. But I can't ignore the space looming between us.

"So what's wrong?" I ask her.

"I… I need to tell you something. Something I did… or said rather… when you were gone."

I freeze, wondering what she could've done that was so bad.

"What happened?" I ask her.

"I…. I was angry, Todd. And extremely worried. I didn't know how the Noise thing would turn out and you were gone and I was feverish and not thinking straight-"

"Viola." I say, grabbing her hand. "Just tell me."

She pauses for a real long time, then takes a deep breath in before finally confessing.

"I told Bradley about what I heard in the forest. About 1017 and Matthew and their interest in your Noise."

And this time, it's my turn to get quiet. I blink a few times before letting go of her hand, and when I don't say anything in return, she continues instead.

"I know we said we weren't going to make accusations before we knew the truth. But I panicked, Todd. You'd already gone to change your Noise and I didn't want you coming back to a bad situation-"

"I know why you did it, Viola." I say, tryin' not to sound angry. "But now, if 1017 and Matthew are innocent, we're going to look like bad leaders. And even tho you knew that, knew I was afraid of that happening, you did it anyways."

Viola looks irritated and pushes the covers off of her. "That sounds oddly familiar, doesn't it Todd? Because you also made a promise not to change your Noise, but you broke it anyways."

"But look how that turned out! You just said that you were wrong about me using my Noise like the Land.."

"And you could still be wrong about 1017's plan."

I start to argue that statement, but before I can, the double doors to the healing room open and Matthew's sister, Laura, walks in. She's carrying a medical bag with a big smile on her face.

"Viola! You're awake." She says.

"I am." Viola sighs, irritated that we got interrupted. "I'm guessing you're here to give me more medicine?"

"You'd be right." Laura sets up the medical bag right next to the table that's sitting beside me, a little too close for comfort.

"I shud probably move out of yer way." I say, pushing myself off the bed, but Laura proceeds to reach over me and place the healing patches on Viola's arm.

"No worries, Todd. I can reach." She says, and I nod, tryin' not to look at her.

"Viola, I put your medicine in the form of the patches so that you won't have to take any by mouth."

But Viola doesn't say anything back to her, just gives her a stone cold look.

"There, all done." Laura says. "I'll leave you too alone now. Com if you need-"

"We will." Viola says quickly. "Thanks, Laura."

Once she's out of the room, I turn towards Viola to finish our conversation, but her eyelids are slowly beginning to shut. She's drowsy from the medicine, and probably tired of fussing about Noise and Spackle and the Snowscape and all the other chaos we're dealing with.

"You shud probably get some rest." I say, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Viola slowly nods.

"Mhmm. So…should you." She says sleepily.

So I tuck her in under the covers and turn off the lights and lay down beside her, holding her hand, and even though we aren't on the same page right now, it feels good, knowing we're still here for each other, that at the end of it all, it's always going to be us as a team.

I end up falling asleep thinkin' about this, about Viola, about my new Noise, until someone aggressively wakes me up by shaking my shoulders. I jump awake and am met with Ben's eyes, an alarming look on his face. Lee and Bradley and Wilf and Jane are also here, looking afraid, and I don't even have the chance to ask him what's going on, to ask him what all the fuss is about, when I look out the window and see fire blazin across the fields in the distance.

"What the hell is going on?" I shout.

_**Todd, we've got to go. Now. **_Ben says. _**There's been an attack on the settlement and-**_

But before he can finish his sentence, a loud Noise shakes the ground, rumbling through the scout ship, piercing through my ears.

A bomb.

And I think-

No-

This can't be happening-

I haven't even gotten the chance to save us-

To make peace-

To save us all-

Instinctively I turn to Viola, frantically shaking her shoulders to wake her up.

"Viola! Wake up!" I say, but she doesn't, only mumbles something softly in her sleep.

"VIOLA!" I scream this time, jumping out the bed, still shaking her.

"What's wrong?" Lee says, walking up beside me, but I barely hear him.

"VIOLA! C'MON! WE'VE GOTTA GO!" I yell desperately. When that doesn't work, I place my fingertips to her neck, checking her pulse, which is thumping steadily. But her eyes are still closed. And now I begin to panic.

"Where's Mistress Lawson?! Viola isn't waking up!"

"I'm right here!" Mistress Lawson says, hurrying to my side. "What's the matter?"

"It's Viola, she won't, she isn't-" I say frantically, not able to get the words out. But Mistress Lawson seems to understand me and gets to work on Viola. She takes off one of the patches on her arm and inspects it before shaking her head.

"This medicine is not appropriate for Viola's sickness. It is much too strong, and she's had too many doses."

"Well wut can you do? She needs to wake up and we need to get out of here-"

_**Todd! Calm down! **_Ben screams.

"I can't, Ben! She won't wake up and we're under attack!"

_**Todd! Look at me. **_Ben says, now grabbing my shoulders, giving me a real hard look.

_**You're a leader now, right? **_Ben asks. But I don't respond, and instead glance at Viola over my shoulder, still and unmoving as Mistress Lawson works on her.

_**Listen, Todd! **_Ben commands my attention. _**You're a leader now. You need to focus. Not just for them, or for us. But for Viola too. **_

And I don't say nothing-

Just still my Noise-

Connect with the Land-

Connect with myself-

And focus on what I'm here for-

On what I'm meant to do-

On Viola.

Viola, Viola, Viola.

_**What do you need me to do? **_I ask Ben, ready to get out of here, to fight, to defend the life we've worked so hard for. Cuz whoever has done this to us, to the settlers, to Viola-

Won't get away with it.

_**It's not something you're going to be happy with. **_He says. _**But it looks like we're going into war. **_


	25. Chapter 25

{Viola}

A voice-

_**Viola! Wake up! **_

I hear his voice-

_**VIOLA! **_

And I try to respond-

(Todd!)

(I'm here!)

(I can hear you!)

But he can't hear me-

_**VIOLA! CMON! WE'VE GOTTA GO!**_

So I try again-

(Todd! Please! I'm right here!)

But it's not working-

_**It's Viola, she won't, she isn't..**_

This time I nearly scream-

(TODD! I'M HERE! LISTEN TO ME!)

But he doesn't hear me-

And he stops calling for me-

And I wonder if this is the end-

(Shut-up, Viola! Wake up! Get back to them!)

But I can't do it without his voice-

I need him to keep calling me-

To keep telling me that he's here-

To keep reminding me of how to get back home-

**Viola, dear, you're going to be alright.**

It's another voice-

That isn't his-

But it's familiar enough-

So I try to speak to it-

(What's going on? What's happening to me? What's happening to us?)

But she can't hear me either-

And I start to panic-

Cause what if I'm stuck here forever?-

But that panic doesn't last long-

Cause something loud rings through-

And the voices yell-

And I get silent-

And everything else goes dark.


	26. Chapter 26

[Todd]

Another bomb goes off before I can respond to Ben's statement.

_**EVERYBODY GET DOWN! **_I yell at them with my Noise, except they don't listen, and not cuz they choose too, but cuz the impact of the bomb does it for em. They all fall to the ground, huddled on top of each other, and I launch myself toward Viola's bed to get her to safety, too.

I quickly grab her unmoving body in my arms and try, I mean really try, not to scream or cry or panic or all three. I think I do a good job of keepin' my composure, but on the inside, in my Noise, I'm bloody worried. All I can think of is Viola, how to get her out of here, how to keep her safe-

Viola, Viola, Viola.

I can't hold her in my arms and respond to the attack at the same time. It's gone dark and I can't see anyone but good thing I've got Noise that can ruddy detect anything. I turn to my left, where my Noise detects Bradley, hunched in a corner with Wilf and Jane.

_**BRADLEY!**_ I shout to him. _**Get to the control room and fly us out of here! **_

I still can't see him but his Noise is close by. Scared, worried, just like the rest of us.

"Todd, we can't just escape the settlement! There are still people here that need us!" He says to me.

"There's no time for that, Bradley!" Mistress Lawson yells from the other side of the room. "If I don't tend to Viola soon we might lose her!"

I whip around in her direction.

_**Don't talk like that, Mistress Lawson! She ain't goin' nowhere!**_ I say it out of emotion, out of rage, but it makes everyone in the room go silent. Cuz not only do they hear what I'm sayin', but they can feel it too. Feel how much I don't want to lose her, how much I can't lose her, and I look down at her, still silent, still not moving, and I wonder if she's already lost, already gone, already-

(SHUT-UP)

_**We've got to help the rest of them, Todd!**_ _**Viola would tell you to do the same thing**_. Ben now, his Noise right in front of mine, making me feel guilty. I bite my lip, really not wantin' to do this, not wantin' to leave her side, but I nod my head in agreement.

Cuz no matter how much I love her-

No matter how much I gotta protect her-

There's a whole community-

A whole world-

Who's waitin' on me to save em-

_**Lee!**_ I shout through my Noise. He stands up real quick and walks over best he can in the dimly lit room.

"Yes sir?" He says to me.

_**Take Viola. And stay with her while Mistress Lawson works on gettin her back. **_

I hand Viola over to Lee, who takes her real gently, and it hurts to have to let her go but I do it anyway.

_**Don't leave her until she's awake. You got that? **_I say to him.

Lee nods as Mistress Lawson and Jane hurry to his side with all the medical stuff.

"Yes sir, got it."

_**Ain't no need to call me sir. Just watch out for her. Please. **_

Now I turn to Bradley, _**Get them all as far away from here as possible. **_

"But Todd you can't go out there alone-" Bradley protests, lookin like he's ready to go into battle with us.

_**I'm going with him.**_ Ben says, steppin up by my side.

Bradley's eyes go wide.

"Just the two of you? Ben you can't be serious! You'll never make it if you don't have backup-"

_**Listen to me, Bradley.**_ I say, stepping up right under his chin.

_**I ain't letting this community fall to pieces but I'll be damned if somethin bad happens to you guys too. Get everyone to safety, get Viola back up and well, and don't ask no more questions till we get back. **_

Bradley don't say nothin' after that, and I swallow a lump in my throat, afraid I've crossed the line, speakin' to someone who's more official than me like that. But it don't faze him at all, and instead he takes two steps back, into the doorway, with his lips in a tight line.

"It's your call, chief." He says to us both. Then he throws a comm to me and a gun to Ben. "Let us know when you're safe."

And then he salutes us too, like he ain't gonna see us again.

I swallow.

"The rest of you, buckle up!" He says before moving to the control room.

Everyone starts runnin' around the scout ship, takin' their positions and getting' ready to head out. I can't see her no more, cuz me and Ben have already walked out the room and into the hallway and the doors are closing,' but I think one last thought to Viola, hopin and prayin that it gets to her, that she hears me, that she remembers how to get back home-

I love you, Viola-

And I ain't never gonna leave you-

My heart is always with you-

Come back to me, Viola.

And she's the last thing on my mind before we enter the smoke.

It's dark and quiet outside. Only thing that's moving are the flames from the fires, dark clouds of smoke risin' up into the sky. I cough standin' in the middle of it until Ben hands me a wet towel. He's already got one coverin' his face.

_**Use this**_. He says, and I take it, tying it to the back of my head.

_**Do you know what started this?**_ I ask him, and he shakes his head no.

_**That's what we're going to find out. The whole community wasn't hit - just the fields surrounding it. But it was enough to scare the settlers into hiding. I saw some flee into the woods, others took shelter in the buildings that are finished, and others..**_. he trails off.

_**Don't say it.**_ I tell him, afraid of something that we couldn't come back from.

_**We can't save them all, Todd.**_ Ben replies.

_**Then what's the point of being out here?!**_ I yell out of anger.

Ben steps in front of me and grabs my shoulders.

_**The point is that you're a leader now. But being a leader doesn't make you perfect, either. You're gonna lose some and you're gonna save some, that's just how it works. But as long as you try- that's what counts.**_

And I just look at Ben, really look at him, and as much as I want to agree, I can't. Cuz we've lost so many already. Cillian and Tam and Simone and So. Many. Others.

Cuz of me.

And so, cuz of me, we ain't losing no more.

Ben's right behind me, and we both look around the area, searching for someone or something that could've possibly done this. Ain't nothing damaged too badly, except for the tents we've all been sleepin in, which are still caught on fire. But the middle of the settlement, where our unfinished buildings stand, look okay.

_**They're all probably hiding in there**_. Ben points to the buildings.

_**And where are we gonna take em once we get em out?**_ I ask.

_**That way.**_ He points toward the woods that are in the opposite direction. _**There's a river that leads back to the spackle community. It's a long walk but they'll be safe once they get there. **_

_**You think the spackle are gonna be okay with us over there? Considerin the hate posters and what not? **_I ask him, concerned.

Ben shrugs. _**Not sure, but it's the best we can do right now. And who knows, with your Noise, they might trust us a little more. **_

I stop asking questions and decide to just trust Ben, trust that my decision to use my Noise like the Land will make things okay between us and the spackle. It's our only option left, so there ain't no need in worryin' about it now.

Ben grabs the gun Bradley gave him and walks with it in his hand. I ain't got nothin for my own protection so I stay real close next to him as we approach the buildings. We run as silently as we can till we make it to the door of the first building, and once we get inside, a whole crowd of people let out a scream.

_**It's okay!**_ Ben says to them. It's dark inside but we can see in our Noise that they're all scared, huggin each other, cryin to one another. And it ain't no use in them tryin to hide, with all the chatter happenin in the men's Noise. Anyone cud hear them from a mile away.

_**It's just me and Todd.**_ Ben says calmly, walking inside and shutting the door. _**We're going to take you all to safety, okay? **_

"We aren't safe anywhere!" A man shouts from somewhere in the building.

_**Trust us.**_ I say now, not as confident as Ben, but I try. _**There's a spackle community not too far from here. It's hidden and it's safe from any threats-**_

"No!" A woman shouts this time. "We can't be seen with the Spackle. It's the reason we're being attacked in the first place!"

Ben looks at me now, confusion in his Noise.

_**The Spackle are not the ones attacking us.**_ Ben tells them all. _**We can trust them.**_

"That isn't the problem." The man tells us. "The Question said that humans and Spackle are not meant to live amongst one another. That the Snowscape is really the wrath of God, punishing us for being civil with their kind."

I scrunch my eyebrows, even more confused than before. _**What are yer talking about? What is... the Question? **_

But they ain't gotta tell me-

Cuz I can hear it-

I can feel it-

A small group of men outside-

Chantin that chant-

Sayin' that sayin'-

I am the Circle-

And the Circle is me-

But that ain't all they're sayin-

Cause they're all wavin' signs-

That say kill the spackle-

That God hates the spackle-

And that they're here to ask the question-

Who's God gonna choose-

In the end?

I feel like I'm gonna be sick, hearin' the same thing we've been told since we were kids, same thing that Aaron wanted us to think, same thing the Mayor forced us to believe. But I know the truth now, Ben knows the truth now, we all know the truth now. That the spackle ain't bad, that there ain't no noise germ, that we really can live together in peace.

But that ain't the opinion of everyone, apparently. There are still men out there that are thinkin' wrong, evil, and small minded. And they're marching through everything we've done to change that.

But they ain't gonna be here for long.

Not if it's ruddy up to me.

_**Ben, get everyone to safety.**_ I say angrily through my Noise, so much that everyone in the building jumps at it.

_**You're not facing them alone, Todd. I know what those kinds of men do- **_Ben protests.

_**Yer forgettin' that I know what they can do too, Ben. I was runnin' from one and worked for the other!**_ I say, shuddering at the memory of Aaron and the Mayor. I hold my hand out, waitin' for Ben to give me the gun.

_**Todd, no! You're not going to kill anyone! **_Ben says, kind of angry now.

_**Watch me, Ben! I'll do it! I'll ruddy do it if it puts an end to this! **_And I fully mean it.

_**You're just going to get yourself killed, Todd! There's a whole army of men out there, you can't take them all at once! **_Ben starts.

And he's right, he's ruddy well right. My new Noise and a gun ain't no match for a whole army of men. They may not be able to manipulate me like the mayor cud, but a bullet ain't got nothin to do with that. Noise or not, we cud all end up dead.

I calm down and look twixt Ben and the settlers, wonderin' how the hell we're gonna fix this.

_**So wut do we do then? Wait it out? Run to the settlement? We gotta get everyone safe-**_ I start to panic.

Ben just shakes his head no, then points to his ear.

_**Listen, do you hear that? They've stopped. Sounds like they're on the other side of the settlement.**_Ben whispers.

And I see what he means, cuz in my Noise they're all grouped up together, closer to the trees, goin over more chants. I try to listen to the leader, the one who's talking the most and gettin' a rise out of the other men, but then my Noise gets interrupted by someone else's, someone who's scared and full of regret, that is now bangin' on the door of the building.

It's 1017. And Matthew Lyle.

Ben hears them too and hurriedly lets them in. They immediately fall to the ground, flustered and out of breath.

_**What's going on, you two?**_ Ben asks them, shuttin' the door. Matthew don't say nothin', just lays on the ground and catches his breath. 1017 stands and responds to us instead.

_**We've made a terrible mistake.**_ He starts. _**This attack, the men that are here, we are partly responsible. We should have said something sooner-**_

And I can't control what I do next. I'm full on angry now, hearing 1017 confess that he's been keepin' things from us, from me. I trusted him, defended him, even let him come twixt me and Viola, even when she tried to warn me. And now she's the one fighting for her life, and everyone else is in danger, and I'm so bloody pissed off he'll be lucky if I don't kill him on the spot.

And apparently, he is lucky, cuz instead of killing him I just grab his shoulders and shove him into the wall, causing the building to shake and the people to gasp.

_**WHAT DID YOU DO!**_ I yell with my Noise, so loud the Spackle shuts his eye real tight before saying something else.

_**I promise you, it wasn't done to harm you or your people-**_ 1017 pleads, but I slam him against the wall again, not wanting to hear his excuses.

_**NO! THERE'S NO EXCUSE! WE TRUSTED YOU AND YOU LIED TO US**_! I say, continuing to slam him into the wall. _**NOW LOOK AT WUT'S HAPPENED! **_

Now someone is grabbin' my waist, pullin' me off him.

"Don't hurt him!" Matthew screams, letting me go.

I turn around real quick and lunge for him too.

_**Yer no different!**_ I yell at him, swingin' to punch his face, but he dodges my fist. Ben runs up real quick, holding my arms down.

_**Don't show hostility in front of the settlers, Todd!**_ Ben yells as I'm still struggling to get out of his grasp.

_**Ain't no use in being peaceful anymore, Ben! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK BECAUSE OF THEM! **_

"TODD!" Matthew yells, not as loud as Ben's Noise but enough to get my attention. I'm losin' energy too, so I calm down, stop fightin, and let myself catch my breath to listen to him.

"You better have a good explanation for this." I tell Matthew with my normal voice, man to man.

But he don't get a chance to tell me-

Cuz now someone is bangin on the door-

And I can't believe who it is-

Can't ruddy believe who I see through my Noise-

Didn't Viola kill him?-

Didn't we escape from him?-

It can't be-

Aaron isn't alive-

He can't be-

And he isn't. Just someone who looks a lot like him, dressed in all white, with that same evil gaze, clear in my Noise. And now Ben can't keep me down, cuz I'm lunging for the door, ready to attack him, ready to kill him if I have to, until he speaks directly to me, from the other side-

"I am not here to harm you! I just want to speak to my son. I know you are in there, Matthew!"

And I pause in place-

And turn to Matthew-

Who's got a real worried look on his face-

Until he tells us-

"Todd, I can explain, but right now we need to run-"

_**What does he mean, son? YER HIS SON?**_ I say in disbelief.

But we really don't have the time to talk about it, cuz the Aaron impersonator goes bangin' on the door once again.

"Matthew! Let me in! I am not going to harm any of you! But you must know that this Snowscape is not what you think it is! We are in trouble with our creator and WE MUST RESTORE OUR WAY OF LIFE!" he goes on.

_**Everyone, get as close to the back of the building as you can!**_ Ben yells to the settlers, suddenly aware of the present danger. 1017 and Matthew start runnin', too, but I grab Matthew's elbow and then turn him around to face me.

"Who is he and what does he want?" I ask boldly, but also scared of the answer.

Matthew even looks scared, but he starts to tell me anyway.

"He's a preacher. Used to live with us in Farbranch. He hated our way of life, that we co-existed with women, but hated the Spackle even more. Francia, Hildy's sister, wouldn't let him stay there. He preached evil ideas about sacrificing women and killing the spackle, so she had no choice but to banish him. But now he's back, starting this rebel group called "The Question." Preaching nonsense about God's final question to man, asking us if we would rather choose to live by his commandments or with creatures that are "supernatural" and "ungodly." Matthew says.

"And why ain't you mention all this SOONER?" I yell, but Matthew can't answer when three loud bangs sound again at the door.

"MR. HEWITT! PLEASE ALLOW ME TO EXPLAIN MYSELF! MY SON IS NOT GIVING OUR CAUSE JUSTICE!" He hollers.

But I don't need no more explanation. It's everything that Aaron and the Mayor once believed, everything we've spend this time fighting against.

And I ain't lettin' it go no further.

Matthew tries to run to the back again, but I grab his arm.

"Yer not going anywhere. You started this mess you stay and fix it!" I yell at him, fear in his eyes, but I don't care. I turn my attention to Ben in the back, using my Noise.

_**Get the settlers to the forest while we distract him!**_ I say to Ben.

_**Todd that isn't safe**_\- Ben starts, but I shake my head furiously, tired of hearing about safety.

_**JUST DO IT BEN! If you don't we're all going to be in danger! NOW GO!**_ I shout.

And it works, cuz Ben don't look back, just shuffles all the scared settlers out the back and into the night. And I don't even hesitate to open the door, standing boldly in front of the person who's causin' all this chaos.

He ain't what I was expectin. Not tall and intimidating like Aaron was. But he's got that same creepy smile, that same evil glow in his eyes. I want to attack him then and there but I don't. Just point the gun right to his face.

_**You best take your nonsense OUT of our community or I'll do it myself.**_ I say, and he takes a step back, not only hearin' my anger, but feelin' it. He knows I'll do it if I have to.

Instead, he turns his gaze over to Matthew, who's shakin' beside me.

"Son. I am so disappointed that you would allow your leader to welcome me here in such a harsh manner-" He starts, sarcasm dripping from his words, but I interrupt him, impatiently.

_**QUIT WITH THE GAMES!**_ I shout. _**Tell me what business you have here or else I will KILL YOU RIGHT NOW.**_

This makes him put his hands up in defense.

"My apologies. Let me introduce myself. Todd Hewitt, my name is Eric. I am the brother of Aaron, the preacher who lived in Prentisstown with you. It's so nice to finally meet you." He extends his hand but I jab the gun in this direction instead.

_**Yer related to Aaron? I OUGHT TO KILL YOU NOW JUST FOR THAT!**_ I say, and mean it, till he shakes his head no.

"I'm not like him, Todd. I promise. I do not intend to kill any humans. And I do not want to sacrifice people for the cause. I am simply here to get back what was taken from me. My children. And my way of life."

Now it's Matthew's turn to speak up.

"It's too late for that. Laura and I are adults now and we'd NEVER think the way you do." He growls, but his dad just raises an eyebrow.

"Oh really? Is that so?" Eric says. Then he turns to the side, making way for someone who's standin' behind him.

And I can't believe who I see-

The last person I'd suspect to be apart of this-

And the first person that Viola would-

She was lying to us this whole time-

It's Laura.

She gives us a small wave and my lips turn into a frown, completely disgusted. Matthew's just standin' there, frozen and shocked.

"Matthew, listen, dad's not here to harm anyone-" Laura starts. "He just wants to make things better for us!"

"LAURA GET OVER HERE NOW!" Matthew shouts to her, stompin' outside and towards his sister.

But Eric puts a hand on his chest and shoves him back. "She's going nowhere, son! Either you join us or you do not. But it is God you'll have to answer to in the end!"

I ain't seen Matthew this angry since the time we fought back in Farbranch. With all his strength he punches Eric right in the jaw, sending him to the ground.

"Matthew stop!" Laura shouts to him, but he doesn't listen. Instead he snatches the gun out of my hand and points it right to his dad.

"YOU'RE THE REASON MOM IS GONE! THAT MY OWN FAMILY IS GONE!" He shouts, so loudly even I flinch.

"It is not my doing, son! But the wrath of God!" Eric keeps pleadin'. This time, Matthew doesn't care to listen, just pulls on the trigger, sendin' out a loud gunshot. My eyes go wide, and Laura screams, and we're shocked he was able to do it, to kill his own father. But after a moment we realize that he wasn't the one who just shot a bullet.

Rather-

It was Hildy.

"Todd pup! Over here!" She hollers, riding on a horse over to us. She's got a group of women behind her, too, and 1017 is riding on his own horse at her side.

One look at 1017 and Eric scrambles to his feet, eyes wide and full of fury.

"A SPACKLE! GET! HIM!" He yells, apparently to his group on the other side of the settlement. They all come charging forward with their hate signs and staffs. It ain't gonna be a fair fight, cuz Hildy's got more people on her side than he does, but hate can be a powerful weapon if it's in someone enough.

Matthew and I start running straight for Hildy while she fires bullets at Eric's group. I make it to her horse and hop on behind her, while Matthew joins 1017.

"Thanks for comin, Hildy. But we gotta go!" I say to her, lookin out at the forest, hoping Ben made it with the other settlers.

"No problem, Tod pup. You best hol' on tight." She says, firing one last bullet.

Hildy turns around and addresses the rest of the group. "Put sum distance twixt us and them! They won't be able ta catch us on foot!"

And so we all turn, headed for the woods, leavin' Eric and Laura and the rest of The Question. The last thing I hear from them is Laura, shouting out to her father.

"Dad, Todd's getting away! And so is Matthew! We need them!" She shouts desperately.

"You cannot run forever, Todd Hewitt!" Eric calls. "The Snowscape is not what you think it is! Only you can stop it! If you make the right choice, that is!" Eric yells.

"What the hell does he mean?" I whisper.

"He ain't sayin nothin'. Jus crazy talk. Don't worry bout' it, Todd pup." Hildy says as we race along.

I don't have time to wonder about it anymore, cuz now the comm Bradley gave me is beeping. I pull it out from my pocket, hoping that they've got good news about Viola, that Ben is back safe.

"Hello?" I answer frantically.

"Todd!" Lee says. "Oh thank goodness you're okay. Ben just made it back and he's worried sick about you-"

Once I hear that Ben is alright, I eagerly interrupt him to ask another question. "Is Viola alright?"

But he ain't gotta say nothin', cuz after a moment of shuffling on the other end of the comm, I hear her voice.

"Todd!" Viola says in a panic. "What the hell is going on? Are you okay?"

And my Noise calms with relief for the first time since steppin' off that scout ship.

Viola-

My Viola-

Is okay-

Out of all the bad things going on right now-

My Viola is okay.

"Viola! Thank goodness yer awake, I was so ruddy worried that you-" I start, but she interrupts me.

"Todd Hewitt, you need to get back here RIGHT NOW." Viola says, very alert but also concerned.

"I'm on my way. We aren't too far from the Spackle community-"

"I'm serious Todd. Please get here as soon as you can." Now her voice trembles, and concern raises up even more in my Noise.

"This is all way worse than you think it is."


	27. Chapter 27

Author's Note: Hey guys! Just wanted to say thanks so much for your continued support for this story. I have not written anything for fun in YEARS because reading/writing for school kind of took over my life But luckily reading Chaos Walking has brought me back to writing simply for the fun of it. So just know that you guys are awesome for reading and for saying such sweet things that you're so so loved and appreciated and capable of doing whatever you love 😊 soooo now that I've been super sappy… hope you enjoy chapter 27! Now that it's thanksgiving break I'll be able to post a couple more chapters this week!

{Viola}

Someone, or something, is trying to warn me.

I could be mistaking this odd feeling for some sort of anxiety, or paranoia, or just plain tiredness from being unconscious for so long. It's only been a few minutes since I've woken up, so my mind is still a bit hazy and my vision blurry and I'm not quite sure of where I am.

But despite those feelings, I cannot deny what I heard while I was unconscious. Or what I felt, rather. At first it began as a voice, whispering something to me that I couldn't quite understand. But then, following that voice, was a feeling, a connection of some sort, that seemed as if it were warning me about a threat. There were no words, no images in my mind, just a feeling that something really bad is going to happen. I wondered if it was just the jumble of Noise from the settlers outside, or if I was hallucinating from the medicine. Or maybe, it was, Noise? No, that couldn't be it. Women didn't have Noise. That would be...impossible?

But either way-

Regardless of what it is-

Something bad is coming-

Something worse than what we're already facing-

And I am really, really afraid to know what.

I told Todd about it on the comm call, but decide to wait for him to get back to discuss it. For now, we have other things to deal with.

"Viola, you need to get more rest." Lee says at my side, taking the comm from my hands. I look from him to my surroundings and notice that we're inside of a Spackle made tent. Lee is sitting on a stool beside my bed, worry pouring out of his Noise.

I whip my head in Lee's direction, causing my sweat-drenched hair to stick to my forehead.

"I won't be able to rest until Todd gets back." I say. "Thank you for taking care of me, Lee, but I've got to get out there and see what's going on."

Lee does what Todd wouldn't and allows me to get up, even though I actually do need more rest. Having been out for several hours my body is still very weak - though not enough to keep me in bed for the rest of the night. So much is going on right now, with the settlers scared, the council in a panic, and Todd being chased down. I can't just sit around, watching it all happen. I need to be useful to the cause.

But as soon as I swing my legs off the bed and place my bare feet on the ground, my knees buckle and I fall down. My body slams against the cold, hard dirt, and my cheek scrapes against a tiny stone on the ground.

"Are you okay?" Lee asks me. I nod as he bends down to help me up.

"Yes, I'm okay." I say once he's got me sitting back on the bed. When I meet his eyes, he's got a scared look on his face.

"What is it?" I ask him.

"You're bleeding." He points.

I bring my hand to the gash on my cheek, blood staining my fingertips. I hadn't felt the wound until he brought it up - now I wince in pain, sucking air through my teeth.

"Let me get Mistress Lawson." Lee says, standing up from the stool, but I grab his arm instead.

"Don't. I'll clean it up. One look at me and Mistress Lawson will make me lay around for the rest of the night." I protest.

Lee lets out a small laugh.

"You know, I'm kind of glad that you and I are just friends. You are way too stubborn for my liking." Lee tells me.

I let out an awkward, but somewhat friendly laugh at his comment.

"And you're way too sarcastic." I joke, then ask, "Can you bring me a medical kit?"

Lee nods before leaving the tent and walking into the chaos that's going on outside. Even if I did want to go back to sleep, it would be nearly impossible, with all the chaotic thoughts going on in the settler's Noise. I hear things about a preacher, a group called The Question, the Snowscape being God's wrath. I can't make sense of it all, can't piece everything together, but it is enough to be concerned.

For the settlers-

For the Spackle-

And especially-

For Todd.

I tap my fingers on the side of the bed with my knee bouncing up and down in anticipation of Todd getting back. It was the most horrifying experience trying to reach him while I was out, begging and pleading for him to hear me, only to find that he couldn't. I don't ever want to be separated from him, like that, again. Knowing he's there, that he's just right there, but not being able to get to him.

Not never again.

I jump when the flaps of the tent open.

But it's just Lee and Steff. Lee is holding a medical kit and wears an annoyed look on his face. Probably because Steff is ranting and raging next to him.

"Viola!" Steff shouts, fast walking to my side. "What the hell happened? I heard rumors that you were in a coma, that you were dying-"

"I'm okay, Steff." I say, suddenly feeling light-headed. My mind can't process everything in front of me right now - all the Noise, Steff's venting, my worries for Todd.

"Are you sure? I feel so responsible for this!" Steff cries.

"Hey, Steff? Calm down. She's okay." Lee tells her abruptly, then turns to me. "Viola, lie down."

This time I listen, shifting myself back onto the bed. I close my eyes.

"It wasn't your fault. It was Laura's." I say, plain and simple. I wasn't sure why she did it, but after Mistress Lawson told me I'd been given too much medicine, I knew she'd done it on purpose. Laura isn't a bad healer - she'd stayed on my heels the entire time we worked together and took notes on everything I said and did. If she'd made a mistake, it was completely on purpose.

And as soon as I'm able to.

I'll make her pay for it.

"That bitch. I knew there was something I didn't like about her." Steff says.

"Look at that. Something we have in common." I say, giving her a small smile. Steff isn't particularly my favorite person, either. But seeing her here, dust covering her cheeks, hair all over her head, showing genuinely concern for me, I realize that she's human too.

"You look like shit." I say jokingly, and she laughs.

"You're one to talk." Steff points at the gash on my cheek.

I reach up, feeling the wound that I'd forgotten about.

"Okay, true." I tell Steff. "Lee, can you pass me the kit?"

He nods from the stool and hands it over. I sit up, open the kit, and use a small antiseptic wipe to fix the wound. But it's no use, my hands are shaking, and I can't even see it. Steff takes it upon herself to grab the wipe and do it herself. I raise my eyebrows in surprise.

"Don't make it a thing." Steff says, a small smile on her face. But it's too good of an opportunity to let pass up.

"What could've possibly happened out there to make Steff Taylor soften up?" I joke lightly. But the smile on Steff's face instantly fades.

"It was horrible, Viola." She says, focusing on the wound and not my eyes.

"Horrible how?" Lee asks.

And I feel my breathing slow, my heart nearly still, listening to the events that took place at the settlement. Steff explains it all to us, how she hid in a building with the rest of the settlers, how Todd and Ben showed up, how Todd lashed out on 1017 and Matthew, how

Aaron's brother showed up, how he's the father of Laura and Matthew, how Laura's working for him now. Working for the Question, who blame our civility with the Spackle for the SnowScape. Who will stop at nothing to get rid of them, rid of us, rid of everything we've worked so hard to create.

And suddenly it hits me-

How impossible this whole thing seems-

To survive this deadly snowstorm-

To survive the attacks from the Question-

To keep the Spackle safe-

To keep the settlers safe-

To keep Todd-

Todd-

Todd.

I can't speak. Instead, I let Steff finish working on the wound, silence hovering over us, except for the words in Lee's Noise. When Steff is done, she lightly tilts my chin from side to side, inspecting her work.

"Better." She says. "But try not to look so...doomed."

I close my eyes and take a deep breath before responding.

"How can I not, Steff? Bombs in the settlement? Another preacher after us? Do you know what this means?" I ask.

"Yeah, I know. It's a shit situation. But Todd chased them off. Laura and her dad and the rest of them."

But I shake my head no. "It's never that simple. They'll be back. Back with more people and weapons and hate."

And suddenly, the desire to get out of this bed overpowers my need to rest. I manage to sit up, place my feet on the floor, and slowly stand up. Lee and Steff hurry to assist me.

"I got it, guys." I tell them once I'm up.

"What are you about to do, Viola?" Lee asks me.

"I don't know. But something other than laying down. I'd drive myself crazy, just sitting here in the middle of this mess." I say, and use all of the energy I have left to leave the tent.

And outside-

It is madness.

There are hundreds of bodies, settlers and Spackle alike, crowded within the small area of the spackle community. Everyone is huddled together, shivering against the cold and trying to squeeze their way around several fires to stay warm. There are also a lot of people who are injured - Mistress Lawson and a few other healers run around like crazy to tend to their wounds. And the worst part, the hardest part to watch, are the panicked groups of people who search amongst the crowd, looking for their lost loved ones.

And I can't help my mind from wandering to Todd.

_**Viola!**_ I think he shouts, looking up quickly to greet him with open arms. But instead it's just Ben.

"Oh. It's just you." I say, letting out a sigh.

_**You're waiting for Todd to get back**_. Ben says understandingly, and I nod.

"Have you heard anything else from him?" I ask shyly.

_**Not since a few minutes ago.**_ He says_**. But you know Todd. He always finds his way back to us.**_

"He does." I say, hoping that it's true. "But that's not the only reason I'm up. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Ben gives me a nod before saying, _**Oh, there's plenty. Follow me. **_

I try my best to follow Ben towards the group of settlers, though I'm barely able to keep up. I start to question if I'll even be of use to the cause, seeing the large amounts of people who are wounded and tired, just like me. Luckily, instead of handing me medical supplies, Ben places a couple of blankets into my arms.

_**Pass these out to as many people as you can. Some of the Spackle say it'll be a lot colder tonight, and these few blankets are all we've got. Try to encourage people to share, if possible.**_ Ben says.

"Okay, can do." I tell him. And then it randomly occurs to me that I should ask Ben about what I've been avoiding since I woke up - the strange feeling I got while I was unconscious. It was probably nothing…

But just in case.

"Hey, Ben?" I say, grabbing onto his arm before he walks away. He doesn't say anything, just raises his eyebrows in question.

"While I was unconscious...I had this really strange feeling. A feeling that was...warning me of something." I admit.

_**Can you describe it to me?**_ He asks.

I nod.

"At first it was like someone was speaking to me, except I couldn't understand the words being said. Then it just turned into a feeling, a feeling that something bad was about to happen."

Ben's eyebrows raise in curiosity.

_**Kind of like, a warning? **_

"Yes. Exactly like a warning."

Ben doesn't say anything this time, just rubs the back of his neck while looking at the ground. After a few moments of silence, I decide to finally speak up.

"You don't think... you don't think it was Noise, do you?"

_**It's a possibility.**_ Ben says. _**I once told Todd that if men could silence their Noise, women could awake their own. I don't know how, but I wouldn't doubt it's possible. **_

"So, what do you think I should do?" I tell Ben. If I'm just having a bad reaction to the medicine, then the warning is probably okay to ignore. But what if it isn't? What if it is Noise, and the Land is trying to tell me something? I shake my head, wanting to believe the former.

We have enough going on as it is.

_**I'm going to talk to some of the older Spackle about it, see what I can find out about women having Noise**_. Ben tells me, then places a hand on my shoulder_**. Try not to worry about it, Viola. **_

And as impossible as that sounds in such a devastating time as this, I seem to be able to distract myself from the chaos for a little while. Lee and Steff eventually join me in handing out blankets to the settlers and the Spackle.

"I ran out of blankets." Lee walks up to me empty handed just as I hand out my last blanket to a family of three.

"Me too. How many more people have gone without?" I ask.

"More than half." Steff now. She's being a lot more helpful than I'd expect. But I guess that's what difficult times can do to a person, even Steff Taylor.

I bite my lip and think for a moment before getting an idea.

"Let's check the scout ship, I'm sure we have some there." I say.

But we don't even take two steps towards the ship before the first fight amongst our people breaks out.

"Give me that blanket!" Yells a very angry looking woman just a few feet away from us. She's tugging on one side of a blanket while a Spackle tugs on the other side. The Spackle tries with all of its effort to get the blanket back, though is losing.

"My son and daughter are FREEZING! We need it more than you!" She shouts again. But when I divert my eyes to the Spackle, it seems to have its own family, three small children shivering in a small huddle with one another.

Without thinking, I use all of the energy I have to run towards the woman and the Spackle. Once I'm there, I stand between the two, ripping the blanket out of their hands. The Spackle steps back, looking frightened, while the woman fumes at me angrily.

"Enough!" I shout at her. "We're very low on blankets, meaning we have to share."

The lady stomps up to me and is only inches away from my face.

"We shouldn't have to subject our HUMAN children to this horrific weather because we're wasting blankets on the ALIENS." She says. "This is exactly what The Question was talking about. God's going to freeze us all if we keep this up!"

Instead of immediately responding, I hand the blanket back to the Spackle and it's family, who take it gratefully. Then I turn, giving the lady the angriest stare I can muster.

"Look." I start, glaring right at her. "If you want to believe in the nonsense of the Question, by all means, do so. No one is stopping you. But I meant what I said at my speech that day. We do not tolerate hate, not towards each other, or the Spackle. So if that's how you want to be, feel free to go."

The woman angrily narrows her eyes at me before turning back towards her family. The words sting after I've said them, feeling as if I've gone too far, though I realize it was necessary. I'm sure a lot of the settlers have begun to question the Spackle, now that the Snowscape is being blamed on our association with them. Showing our people that there will be consequences for mistreating others in our community will, hopefully, keep it from happening.

And suddenly, a new fear pops into my mind-

Cause what if all the settlers decide to go against the Spackle-

Decide to go against our council-

And revolt against everything we've created-

Revolt against-

Us?

I am left standing in the middle of the camp, pondering this horrific idea, when I feel the ground shake and the sound of horses running through the woods. If it weren't for his Noise I would have been frightened, scared that the Question had found our hiding spot. But I am sure that it's Todd, especially when his figure appears on top of a horse with Hildy at his side.

As well as 1017 and Matthew.

Todd's eyes lock on mine right away. He dismounts his horse and jogs over to me, though with a slight limp. Of course, worry pulses through me at the idea of him being hurt. But Todd doesn't seem to mind. He wraps me into a tight embrace and it feels like we stay that way forever.

"Viola." He says into my hair, without his Noise.

"Todd." I whisper back, hugging him even tighter.

He places his hands on the sides of my face once we let go.

"What happened to you? I couldn't get you to wake up for nothin." He says.

"Mistress Lawson said I was given too much medicine." I inform him. "Laura did it on purpose."

"And wut about this? On yer face?" He asks, running his fingers lightly over the wound.

"I fell. Trying to get up." I admit.

I expect Todd to be worried, but instead he looks to the ground and shakes his head.

"Do you know what's been goin on?" Todd says, a very overwhelmed look on his face.

I nod my head yes. "Steff told me everything."

"Even the part about Laura? Working for the Question?"

"Yes."

"And how Eric is her dad? And Matthew's dad? And Aaron's brother?" Todd rambles.

"Mhm. I've heard it all." I say to Todd. And he doesn't have to say more, doesn't have to convince me of the danger we are in, because I already know it. Already know what is at stake.

"I don't know what we're ruddy goin' to do." He says, less hopeful and more afraid.

"Me neither." I say, grabbing his hands.

"You said...on the comm call...that somethin' worse is gonna happen. What is it?" He asks me.

"It's difficult to explain. But, while I was out, I got a warning." I say. Todd scrunches his eyebrows in confusion.

"From who?"

"Well, I don't know." I say. "It wasn't a verbal warning. But it was... a feeling. Something telling me that something really bad is about to happen."

Todd looks at me now, really looks at me, trying to understand what I'm saying.

"So, yer sayin' that you had a dream about somethin' bad?" Todd says.

"No, not a dream. A feeling." I try again.

"Like...like Noise?" He asks. And I didn't want to put it that way, didn't want to make it seem like it was a possibility, but I can't hide from it forever.

"It...could've been. It was unreal, Todd. I've never felt anything like that before." I say. "Ben is going to help me figure it out."

Todd takes a long moment to think this over, then grabs my hand and starts pulling me towards the healing tent.

"What are you doing?" I ask him as he pulls me along.

"You still need rest." He says to me. "Yer injured and still weak. That's why yer talkin' crazy like that."

I stop dead in my tracks and let go of his hand.

"I'm not ruddy 'talkin crazy.' And I'm not saying it was Noise, either. But I did get a feeling Todd. Something really bad is about to happen." I say.

Todd looks down to the ground, then back up at me.

"Well, there's only one person I know who can figure it out." Todd says, shifting his gaze to Ben, who's talking with a group of Spackle. I nod in agreement and we start to make our way over there, but we're stopped by someone's very guilty, very afraid, sounding Noise.

_**I think I might be able to help, too. **_

1017.

I turn around as quickly as I can and lunge right for 1017. It isn't much of a move, since I am still weak, but enough for Todd to catch me around the waist and pull me back before hitting him.

"I knew you were behind this!" I scream, struggling against Todd's embrace.

_**I can explain myself if you just give me the chance.**_ He pleads.

"I gave you that chance the other day and you still lied!" I scream. "I'm done giving you chances!"

"Calm down, Viola!" Matthew hops in, getting the same scowl that I gave 1017.

"You're just as much to blame! Why didn't you tell any of us about this? We could've done something sooner had you of mentioned it!"

"I didn't want the council to distrust me for being related to the leader of The Question." He says shamefully.

"And you think lying is better?" I shout back.

"Viola." Todd says, getting me to stop. "Yer might want to bring it down some."

Todd nudges his head in the direction of the settlers, who've begun to watch the argument going on between me, 1017, and Matthew. They all look at us with curious thoughts rising in their Noise, and I realize that what I'm doing will not help our cause. Me putting blame on 1017 will only teach our settlers that they can do the same. I glance over at the woman I just scolded for her hateful behavior, who shakes her head at me in disbelief.

Suddenly my body begins to feel very weak. Probably from all the shouting, or the looks I'm getting from the crowds, or both. Todd senses that I need to sit down and slings one of my arms around his neck while putting his around my waist.

"Give us a minute to talk." Todd says to the two of them, leading us to the tent. They both nod and join the rest of the council in assisting the settlers. I want to tell Todd that I'd like to stay and help but figure it's no use. He probably wouldn't let me, and I'd be too angered with 1017 and Matthew to do anything useful.

Todd helps me sit down on the bed when we are back inside, and I automatically start complaining.

"I can't believe the two of them would lie to us like that. If we would've known about the attack, we could've done something sooner!"

Todd sits down next to me, our shoulders touching. He rubs the back of his neck before responding.

"Matthew said he wanted to earn our trust before he told us." Todd says.

"Well, that plan of his didn't work. I will never trust him now." I say. Todd begins to speak again but I interrupt him, continuing to rant.

"Look at all of those people out there. Wounded, cold, afraid, missing their family members. And what about the Spackle? Not only are they afraid of the Question but of the settlers too! No one trusts each other anymore. Everything we worked so hard for just ruined-"

"Viola-" Todd tries, but I interrupt again.

"And then there's Laura. She tried to kill me, Todd! She knew I was onto her and her brother. I swear if she were here right now I would-"

"Vi-"

"And what about your safety? Eric is clearly after you. His whole army is, in fact. So on top of dealing with the storm, the settlers, the Question, I STILL have you to be concerned about!"

_**Viola!**_ Todd says with his Noise now, fully getting my attention.

"Sorry." He says shyly. "Just couldn't get yer attention."

"It's fine. Still getting used to it." I say to Todd. He puts an arm around my shoulder.

"I know." He speaks normally, then says my name. "Viola."

I look up at him.

"I'm scared, Todd." I tremble.

"I am too. I ruddy am too." Todd responds.

And it's in this moment that I realize, while I'm looking at Todd, at the one person I care most about, that there isn't anything else we can do. We tried to re-build our community, and now it's in flames. We tried to create peace between the Spackle and settlers, and now they're afraid of one another. Laura, Eric, their entire army is after us, not to mention the Snowscape.

Ever since Todd woke up, we'd made the decision to stay here, to help make this world a better place for everyone. But we have always been each other's first priorities.

And at the end of it all-

He's always the one I'm going to save-

Always the one I'm going to protect-

And right now-

There's only one way I know how to do that-

"Todd." I say, and he raises his eyebrows.

"I think that we should leave."

"You...what?" He asks in disbelief.

I shift myself out of Todd's embrace and stand in front of him.

"We should leave." I say again.

"And leave everyone behind?" He stands in front of me now.

"I know, I know." I say, placing my head into my hands, my voice muffled. "It doesn't seem reasonable. We can't just leave this mess to the rest of the council. But...what if it's not safe? For either one of us? Someone is after us both. What if we can't protect each other? And...what if we can't protect all of them?"

Todd doesn't respond, just grabs my wrists and lowers them from my face. His eyes are wet, as if he's going to start crying.

"We can't leave, Viola." He starts. "And not just cuz it be wrong to leave them in such a mess. It's cuz you'd never forgive yerself, wud never actually be happy, if you did."

I lower my head and look to the ground, knowing he's right. A tear falls from my eye before he continues.

"But-" Todd goes on, "If it does get any worse, if we really try to save everyone and it just don't happen, then we'll go."

I raise my eyes to meet Todd's, which are both confident and sad at the same time. He knows how important saving this settlement was to me, to him, to everyone who's been on this journey together. But he also knows that I can't lose him, that we can't lose each other. At the end of it all, if we just can't make it happen, leaving will be our only choice.

So I nod my head and we don't discuss it further. Instead we stand there, foreheads touching and hands interlocked, taking in the silence. But the moment is interrupted when that same feeling comes back to me, a feeling that something bad is coming. Todd feels it too as it builds up in his Noise, so alarming that he looks up and towards the flaps of the tent.

"What the-" He starts, wondering what's going on, trying to understand what's happening in his Noise.

And now I understand it-

The feeling I've been getting-

The warning I'm receiving-

It's coming from The Land-

It's rising in my own mind-

But I don't have the time to say it-

Don't have the time to explain it to Todd-

Because the cold winds of the coming storm blow straight through the tent-

Raising it off the ground-

Way up above our heads-

And spins up towards the sky.

Todd quickly grabs a hold of me, afraid that I'll blow away with the devastating wind that's hitting our campsite. I hold onto him tight, and through squinted eyelids witness the settlers and Spackle running every which way, going to hold onto trees or pack themselves into caves. I can also hear Ben, or Bradley, or maybe Lee shouting our names, pushing us towards the scout ship. We run for it together, pushing as much as we can against the wind and flurries of snow that have joined the madness. They're all yelling, cursing the wind, wondering what's happening, but I already know what it is.

The warning I got-

The threat that's upon us-

Can only be one thing-

The beginning of the Snowscape.


	28. Chapter 28

[Todd]

"Todd! Come help us close this door!" Bradley shouts at me. Viola and I turn around, tears fallin' onto our cheeks and our shoulders shiverin' from the cold and hearts thumping in our chests from running for our lives. I didn't even have the time to wonder wut was going on, or where it came from, and I don't waste the time tryin' to figure it out now.

Cuz it's already here-

Worse than we could've expected-

The Snowscape is upon us.

I leave Viola's side but I don't think she minds, cuz she's too busy calming down the settlers who ran into the scout ship before us. We're all packed in real tight, tryna stay protected from the cruel winds outside, but we ain't gonna make it unless we can get this door closed.

I run over to Ben and Bradley and Lee and Wilf, who are pullin and tryin to shut the door against the wind. It's supposed to close by itself but even that isn't workin - that's how strong the winds are. I join them all in the effort to close it.

"It ain't workin!" I scream. I'm probably contributing the least amount of effort but I'm more tired, mentally and physically, than I have been in days.

_**Pull just a little harder!**_ Ben encourages.

"Almost there!" Lee shouts next.

We pull and pull until finally, once my arms feel like they're gonna ruddy snap off, we get the door closed. The rest of the crew waits and watches to make sure it don't open up again, but I don't, just heave out a long sigh and lower myself onto the ground. My heart is beating hard in my chest, my muscles protestin any sort of movement, and my skin feels frozen from the cold. I lay there, all my limbs stretched out, just wantin to fall asleep and escape this frozen chaos.

Lee turns around and offers a hand to help me up, but I wave him off.

"No thank yer. Just leave me here a minute." I say between heavy breaths. I wouldn't even mind if they left me here the rest of the night. With everything that's happened - Eric and Laura and The Question and Viola and her maybe having Noise-

I just needed a break.

_**Come on, Todd. We've got things to discuss**_. Ben now. I shut my eyes and grumble at his attempt to parent me right now. I love Ben, but after all I've done, all I've been through, I think it's fair to call myself my own man now. So I'll get up when I want to.

"Just. A. Minute." I say again through clenched teeth.

"We don't have a minute, Todd." Bradley says now. I open my eyelids just enough to see them all standin' around me, lookin' down, waitin' for me to get up and act like a leader. Like a hero.

I don't feel too much like either right now.

But I don't tell them this, just sigh and push myself off the floor and get ready to pretend like I care. Not that I don't, but with everything goin on, it's gettin harder and harder to see how we can change things for the better.

But maybe they've got a brilliant idea, somethin' that can put hope back into this cause.

Cuz right now-

I got nothin.

Lee claps me on the shoulder before we all walk thru the crowds that make up the main area of the scout ship. We try to get to the healin' room, but even that space is full of settlers, all being tended to by Mistress Lawson. That woman never quits when our people are in need, and when we try to get her to join our meeting, she just waves us off. I wished Ben would've left me alone like he does Mistress Lawson, but I don't have much energy to complain about it.

So we make our way back thru the crowds in the main area, this time, Viola followin us. It's empty in the control room, and I'm so eager to sit in the control chair, cuz not only am I tired but am limpin on my right leg. But one look at Viola, seein her tired eyes, makes me want to offer the seat to her instead.

But she don't take it.

She wouldn't be Viola if she did.

"You need it more, Todd."

And I don't have the energy to argue, so I do as she says. Viola grabs one of my hands before Ben starts talkin to us.

_**I think it's fair to say that we're in more trouble than we anticipated. **_He starts.

"That's an understatement." Lee adds. "You know how many of our people have gone missing?"

"Hundreds." Viola says to the group, but she's lookin at the floor.

There's a minute of silence before we continue.

"All we can do is focus on who we have." Bradley admits.

_**And what about the Spackle?**_ Ben adds.

"It's not looking too good for them." Bradley states. "With the Question hunting us down, and the Snowscape upon us... I'm not too sure there's much we can offer them."

Viola quickly looks up towards Bradley. "What do you mean? Leave the Spackle to fend for themselves?"

"I know it's not what you want to hear, Viola, but our original purpose was to create a safe world for _our_ people. The settlers." Bradley says.

Viola gives him a real disapprovin look.

"Things don't always go to plan, Bradley. They still need us, too. Wouldn't we be just like The Question if we left them high and dry?"

_**Viola has a point.**_ Ben says_**. This is the Spackle's home. They deserve to be safe, and it's our responsibility to protect them. From both the Question and the Snowscape.**_

Now Bradley sighs, copying Viola's disapprovin look and giving it to Ben.

"I get where you're coming from, Ben. But the hatred that's being passed onto the Spackle is coming from the people who've already been on this planet, not the settlers. They're nothing like Laura, or Matthew, or Eric, or anyone else associated with the Question. It's unfortunate what's happening to the Spackle, but I can't sacrifice our people's safety. They've got nothing to do with this."

My tiredness gets replaced with anger, hearin' Bradley speak so poorly about the people from this planet.

"And wut's that supposed to mean?" I say, gettin out the chair. "Not all men are bad from this planet. Me and Ben have been helpin' you guys since the day yer settlers got here. Don't you think you cud return the favor and do the same for us? For the Spackle?"

Viola sets a hand on my shoulder cuz my voice is getting louder and louder. It automatically calms me down, except not like it usually does. Instead of just feeling her touch, knowing she's there to keep me level- headed, I can actually feel her calmness pulsing through me.

It's almost like-

We got a connection-

Like she's got another way of communicating-

Like she's got-

Noise.

Viola feels it too, lookin' from her hand, to me, then back to her hand. She removes it quickly, like she's scared, and all the anger I felt before comes right back. Ben notices this too and steps between me and Bradley, speaking to him before I get to yellin.

_**Bradley, you still have an obligation to help the Spackle. They helped us re-build our community, they warned us about the Snowscape, and they've allowed the settlers to seek refuge here after the attack from the Question.**_ Ben says calmly, but also like he's not playin around.

But Bradley don't seem to want to listen.

"The only reason we had to seek refuge in the first place is because the Question is after the Spackle - not our people." Bradley says.

Now Viola's heated, not only do I see it on her face, but can feel it coming off of her, pressin' into me.

It's real strange.

But now ain't the time to worry about it.

"Do you hear yourself, Bradley?" She asks him. "The Spackle are completely defenseless in all of this. If we don't stop the Question now, they will probably kill the Spackle off entirely. Doing nothing about it makes us apart of the problem."

Bradley sighs before explaining.

"It's not that I don't want to help the Spackle. But I'm not going to sacrifice our settlers' safety for a lost cause. What is it that we can do for the Spackle now? A hate group is after them in the middle of a snowstorm. We've got no shelter, no food, and surely no army to defend against the Question. At this point, everyone is on their own." Bradley says.

And it's that statement right there, _on their own_, that makes me look right at Viola, contemplating her idea about leaving together. The council ain't workin as a team, we've got the burden of takin care of all these settlers, and both me and Viola got Eric and Laura and the whole entire Question after us for being civil with the Spackle.

Maybe leaving won't be such a bad idea-

Maybe it'll give us the chance to finally be safe-

Just me and Viola and Ben-

And maybe even Lee-

And maybe even Matthew-

And we can leave all this chaos behind us.

But I know I cud never do it, never leave without at least tryin.'

And neither can she.

Viola interrupts my thoughts by shouting at Bradley.

"I can't believe you, Bradley. You're a better person than this." She says pointedly.

Bradley's Noise is angry now, as he looks twixt me and Viola.

"And I can't believe how irrational you're being." He tells her, which is a bad idea, and I know from experience.

"How is caring about others, especially those who are kind enough to share their land with our people, being irrational?" She throws back at him.

"You can't save this entire world, Viola. I understand you've done great things and have gone through a lot but you're still just a kid." Bradley says, all fatherlike. Viola gets real mad at that, which I understand.

Cuz we've been thru more than all of them combined.

"I never said I could save the world, but I'm damn sure willing to try. All we have to do is stick to our original vision and fight together-"

"You're all about fighting together until Todd's safety is in jeopardy. If it came down to Todd or the settlers, you'd sabotage them all in a heartbeat." Bradley says, a matter of fact.

That makes Viola go quiet, whatever rage that was pulsing thru her now gone and replaced with disappointment.

Even tho he's right-

Cuz if it were me-

I'd choose her over everyone-

Viola over the whole cause-

So can we really blame him?

Viola is a lot of things, but she ain't a liar and she won't pretend that Bradley isn't right. But she also won't pretend that wut he said didn't hurt, either.

"Of all people, I'd expect you to understand why I can't lose anyone else I love." She says, hurt complementing her words. We all know she's talkin about losing her parents.

Regret passes across Bradley's face, "I didn't mean to say it that way, Viola..."

But she don't get him chance to apologize, just waves him off and walks to the door.

"I know exactly what you meant. And maybe you're right, maybe my priorities aren't the same as yours. So do whatever you want." And with that's she's out the door.

"I'm gonna go talk to her." Lee says.

And I plan on doin' the same thing, following Viola and Lee out the door, but Bradley stops me.

"Todd." He says, and I turn around. "We've heard you and Viola's idea about leaving. In your Noise."

I bite my lip. Should've known they'd figure it out sooner than later.

"It's not like we were tryin to leave anytime soon. It was just an idea in case... in case things got real bad." I say. "But we still want to

But Bradley don't take my excuse. "Things are already bad, Todd. And if you two don't want to help..."

_**That's enough, Bradley.**_ Ben says, joinin me at my side. _**Todd and Viola are more dedicated to this cause than anyone here, despite the Question being after them. **_

"If they weren't so concerned for the Spackle, the Question wouldn't bother with them." Bradley says.

"Yer wrong." I tell him. "Sayin' we aren't associated with the Spackle ain't enough. If we aren't on his side, we'll always be his enemy."

_**He's right. The mayor was the same way.**_ Ben says.

"Yep. You think yer safe, mindin' yer business and only focusin' on the settlers. But he'll be after you too if you don't join his side."

Bradley considers my point, then crosses his arms.

"So how do you suppose we do that? Our settlers barely knew how to do things in the community. What makes you think they're ready to take on the Question's army of men in the middle of the Snowscape?"

_**We don't know yet.**_ Ben tells him, uncertainty comin from his Noise. _**But if we work together and have hope we'll find some kind of way...**_

"Ben." Bradley sighs. "We don't have time for peace and hope anymore. You two can fantasize about a perfect happy community all you want to, but I'm going to fulfill my original purpose of coming here. So if you'll excuse me."

And with that, he walks out the room, and we don't try to stop him.

"Well that ruddy went well." I say to Ben, slumping back down into the chair.

_**I can't believe we've let all of this come between us**_. Ben says surprised, even tho I don't share the feeling.

"It was bound to happen. Nothin can be perfect, even with us." I say to Ben. "But wut are we gonna do now?"

Ben thinks a moment.

_**I think there's only one thing left for us to do. **_

And I don't even ask him wut, cuz I can see it, feel it thru his Noise. And all I'm seein is me and Viola and Ben, the only three who still believe in wut we started all this for in the first place-

Goin' after the Question.

"We can't do it alone, Ben." I say.

_**We wouldn't be alone. I'm sure 1017 and Matthew and even Hildy would be willing to join**_. Ben suggests.

And I think about his proposition, really think about wut it wud mean. With a little bit of rest and a good game plan and the proper supplies, the six of us wud be a force to be reckoned with. And if we catch Eric and his group before they get too many people to join, we'll likely be able to stop him.

Stop him and get back to the way that things shud be.

And maybe, just maybe, Viola and I woudn't have to leave.

"You think we'll be okay to travel in this weather?" I ask him.

_**Not sure. But 1017 will probably be able to tell us.**_ Ben says.

I swallow a lump in my throat, knowin that, if we're gonna pull this off, we've gotta trust 1017 again. I know he ain't the one to blame for this, but keepin things from the group really does make it harder. I make a mental note to talk to him about it before we go.

Cuz we gotta be able to trust everyone.

Our lives depend on it.

"And wut about food? Supplies? There's no tellin how long we'll be out there." I say.

_**We've got some things in the emergency room here on the ship**_. Ben tells me. He puts a hand on my shoulder when he notices the unsure look on my face and thoughts in my Noise.

_**I'm telling you, Todd. This is our only way. **_

And as much as I don't want to believe it-

As much as I'd love to leave the chaos behind-

Take Ben and Viola to safety-

It's still gonna eat me alive if I don't try-

If I don't try to be the hero that I know I can be.

"When shud we leave?" I ask Ben.

_**Get some rest first, and we'll talk about it tomorrow. But I'd say no longer than a day or two. We don't want the Question getting any stronger than they already are. **_

I nod in agreement with Ben's statement, and before I can ask him any other questions, I notice his Noise getting warmer and warmer. Then, he pulls me in for a hug, and we stand like that for a long time. I didn't realize how much I needed this, needed comfort from my father, until now.

He lets me go without sayin anything else and we both walk back into the main area of the ship. I see Ben make his way towards Hildy and Matthew, probably to talk about our new plan, while I look for Viola. She's sittin in a corner all on her own, head in her hands.

She looks up when she hears my Noise approachin her.

"You okay?" I ask, sitting down next to her.

"No." She says honestly. "I can't believe Bradley is turning his back on everything we've worked for."

"You can't blame him completely." I say. "We were gettin ready to do the same thing."

Viola cuts her eyes to me now and I can see that she's been cryin. I take her hand and squeeze, hoping that it's comfort enough. But instead of her feelin better, I just feel all her sadness transferring into the palm of my hand.

"Wut is goin' on?" I say, looking at our interlocked fingers. "It's like...I can feel everything yer feeling."

"I don't know." Viola trembles. "It's kind of like...like Noise."

"Except I can't hear you." I say. I never thought women cud get Noise, er whatever it is that's happened to Viola overnight. But I can't say that I don't like it. It's nice, bein a little closer to her now.

"It must have happened while I was out. Ben told me that he'd help me figure it out, but with so much going on, he hasn't really had the time." She says.

I gulp, gettin ready to tell her the plan Ben and I just created.

"Speaking of Ben... he thinks that we shud go after the Question." I say nervously.

Surprisingly Viola laughs, just a little.

"Bradley would never go for it."

"He ain't comin'." I say.

"But...he's apart of the council?"

"Doesn't look like we've got much of a council anymore."

Viola turns her eyes away from me and slumps back onto the wall.

"I can't believe this is happening. We were all supposed to do this together..."

"But it's like you said, Viola." I say, interrupting her. "Things don't always go as planned."

She turns her head while it's still resting on the wall and smiles at me.

"Are you ruddy copying me now?"

And then we both laugh, appreciating the joke at such a devastating time as this.

"So... who's all coming with us? And when are we leaving?" She asks now, all business.

"You, me, Ben, Hildy, 1017, and Matthew. Leaving in the next day or so."

Viola's face sinks just a little and now I can feel annoyance in her Noise... or whatever it is she's got now. I should've known that 1017 and Matthew's presence wud bother her, but they're our only shot at taking down the Question and keeping our people safe. Keepin each other safe.

"Unless they turn against us in the middle of the fight." Viola says, readin my Noise.

"I ain't gonna let em do that." I tell Viola.

"You saying that you wouldn't let them implies that you don't fully trust them."

"Viola." I say now, squeezing her hand. "You gotta let it go if we're gonna get anywhere with this. Fighting won't do us any good."

She knows I'm right, which is why she turns her head away from me and to the crowd of people in front of us.

"Okay, fine. I'll let it go." She says, and I know she's telling the truth cuz I can feel it coming off of her.

"I can already tell that I'm going to get annoyed with you being able to read me now." Viola says, catching me reading her.

"Now you ruddy know how I feel." I say, makin her laugh. It reminds of the time we were runnin together, when she was afraid of me, when I was annoyed with her, but somehow, we just kept savin each other.

And now we're gettin ready to do it all over again.

"Todd." She says.

"Viola." I say to her back.

"We're going to be okay."

And I nod, squeezing her hand, feelin all her emotions pressin into me, and not only believing in wut she's sayin, but feelin that it's true.

"We ruddy will be." I promise.

And we stay there, sittin hand in hand, waitin for the morning, waitin to fight for each other, just like we always do.


	29. Chapter 29

{Viola}

We've been stuck inside the scout ship for four days now, and even though we're protected from the horribly dangerous circumstances outside, I've never felt so trapped in my life.

Being confined to the metal walls of the ship didn't bother me on the first day, and that's because Todd and I completely slept through it. We had both neglected our bodies tremendously over the last couple of weeks - from building the community to not eating and sleeping enough to running from the Question to me being poisoned by Laura and now, nearly freezing to death from the Snowscape. A good day of rest was beyond necessary for the two of us, so we took advantage of being stuck inside without any pressing responsibilities and slept like we never have before.

On the second day of being stuck inside, Todd and I spent the day in our little corner, away from the settlers, and played around with our Noise. I expected to be more freaked out by mine, seeing that I'm the first girl to ever have Noise, not to mention we still don't know what caused it, exactly. But having Todd around has been a huge help. We learned that even though Todd can't hear my thoughts, my feelings and emotions can easily be detected if he's close to me, or if we touch. We spent the whole day without saying a word to each other, just passing our thoughts and emotions back and forth, telling jokes and being playful and saying sweet things to one another. I didn't say one single word to Todd that day and yet, it was the closest I'd ever felt to him.

But by the third day, both Todd and I were itching to do something productive. The plan to search after the Question was still happening, but 1017 informed us that we should at least wait until the storm calmed down before making the trip. So in the meantime, we prepared for the journey. Hildy, Todd and I spent part of the day searching the scout ship for any supplies that would be helpful - blankets, water bottles, canned foods, medical kits, pocket knives, changes of clothes, and the like. But this took us less than an hour, so back to being bored we were. Todd and I tried to ask Ben to give us something, anything, to do, but he wouldn't comply.

_**We're going to have a pretty daunting journey ahead of us really soon.**_ He told us after we begged him to put us to use. _**Just enjoy this rare moment to get some rest. **_

Ben's plea for us to relax made a lot of sense, but Todd and I just couldn't bring ourselves to do it any longer. As much as we complain about being tired, about wanting peace, about having a life without chaos, we surely are not the kinds of people who can have nothing to do, no purpose to fulfill. Maybe it's because we'd spent so much time running and fighting and now that's all we know, the only way we can function in this world.

So on the fourth day, Todd and I took our desire to do something to Mistress Lawson. She'd pretty much served all of the settlers who were sick or wounded, though there were still a lot of people who's bandages needed to be re-wrapped, fever's that still needed to be paid attention to. I busied myself with these kinds of tasks, and even Todd helped out for a while, but he couldn't quite get the hang of it.

"I don't know how you do this." Todd says to me, hands tangled up in a roll of gauze.

I laugh at him while I finish bandaging a wound on a little boy's arm, then turn to Todd and start unwrapping the gauze from his hands.

"It just takes practice." I say, a warm feeling passing from my hands to his as I release his fingers from the cloth. "And with all this time we have on our hands, you'll have plenty of time to learn."

Todd crosses his arms before responding. "I don't think so. This is more so yer thing."

I narrow my eyes at him, "Well, having Noise was your thing and now I've got it. So anything's possible."

"I guess yer right." He says, giving me a small smile. "But I don't think we're gonna be stuck in here for long enough for me to learn."

I playfully narrow my eyes at Todd, "You just don't want to do it."

Now Todd laughs out loud, a happy feeling swirling around in his Noise.

"Thats kinda true." He admits. "But 1017 did say the storm's lettin' up some."

"Really?" I say, and Todd nods. 1017 has been in and out of the scout ship during the last couple of days, trying his best to help out the Spackle who are still out there in the storm. He's also been keeping an eye on the weather, making sure it's ideal for our journey back to the settlement. If he says that the storm is letting up, then we're closer to leaving sooner rather than later.

Closer to heading into another fight-

Suddenly being stuck in the scout ship doesn't seem all too terrible.

"Yer worried." Todd says, not quite reading my thoughts but detecting the fear that's slowly creeping into my mind.

"A little." I tell him.

Todd nods his head in understanding, then steps closer to me, closing the small gap between us. He places a hand on the back of my neck and lightly pulls me forward, then softly kisses me on the cheek. Heat radiates off of my skin once he pulls back.

"We'll be okay, remember?"

"Yes." I say, somewhat convincingly. We've gone through this kind of thing plenty of times, so I have no doubt that we'll be prepared for whatever threat awaits us.

But something could always go wrong-

Someone could always get hurt-

Todd could always-

(Shut-up, Viola).

"Good." Todd tells me, smiling just a little. "I'm gonna leave yer to this, cuz I'm just slowin yer down. Maybe Ben will finally have something for me to do."

"Okay. See you." I say casually as Todd walks out of the healing room.

It's a really strange moment, saying goodbye to Todd without worrying that he's walking into danger, without worrying that it's the last time I'll see him again, and I begin to fantasize about the day when all of our goodbyes will feel like this - like hope instead of fear.

But these thoughts are immediately interrupted when I hear Bradley's Noise enter the healing room. We both make eye contact at the same time, nervousness swirling around in his Noise.

Bradley and I haven't spoken to one another since our argument the other day. Sure, I was upset about his decision to abandon our cause and leave the Spackle on their own. But what he'd said about me sabotaging the settlers for Todd's safety was something I had a hard time forgiving. After everything I've sacrificed for the settlers, everything I've given for the sake of our community, Bradley had the audacity to believe that I was only concerned about Todd. There's no doubt that his safety is the most important to me, and if it came down to it, if my only two choices were to save Todd or the community, I'm choosing Todd without question. But that doesn't mean my only goal is to save Todd - a new and safer world for everyone is my end goal, just as it is for everyone else.

But even with our differences, it still hurts that the two of us aren't speaking. Bradley has been like a father to me, even when my own was still alive, and after being mad for so many days I feel the need to make amends. In that second that we make eye contact, my Noise is full of regretful and apologetic feelings, though it is apparent that Bradley doesn't notice this. Todd has been the only person who can read me this way - so after a few seconds of eye contact Bradley simply turns in the direction of Mistress Lawson, who he seemingly came here to talk to.

I decide that being in his presence is too much to bear at the moment and head out of the healing room, planning to look for Todd. But I don't make it even halfway across the ship before Lee walks up to me.

"Have you seen Todd?" He asks.

"I was on my way to find him now." I say. "What's going on?"

"Your friend Hildy just told me about the mission you're going on. Thought I'd ask if I could join." He says.

I raise my eyebrows, "Um, do you think that's a good idea? With you..."

"Being blind?" He finishes for me, and my cheeks blush out of embarrassment.

"I don't mean it in a bad way. But this is different than just building a community... we could very easily end up in a fight. And after everything that happened to you last time..." I'm distracted by Lee's Noise, showing the devastating things he did and saw just a few months ago in the war against the mayor.

"I think I can handle it, Viola. You guys are going to need as many people as you can get. Who knows how big the Question has gotten by now?" Lee says, a matter of fact.

I contemplate this idea - could Eric have gained that many followers in just a few days? If so, the six of us likely wouldn't stand a chance. But what would adding one more to the group do?

Heighten the chances of losing more people that I care about, is what.

"I don't know, Lee. Bradley and Mistress Lawson are probably going to need help with the people who are here. And Steff is the only other skilled healer, so she'll need help, too." I say. Lee gives me a look of terror.

"Please do not leave me here with her, Viola. I'd much rather be taken out by the Question or freeze to death or both than be stuck here with that girl." He pleads.

I laugh out loud, even at such a dark joke.

"I can't argue with that." I say. "But I still don't know, Lee. It's gonna be dangerous-"

My sentence is interrupted by Noise walking towards us, and when I turn my head, I see that it's Matthew. He stops a few feet away from me, as if he's afraid to take any further steps without my permission. I take a deep breath and shove my desire to ignore him deep down, then close the gap between us.

"What's going on?" I ask him straightforwardly, not even bothering with a greeting. We'll get to that point with time, once I can fully forgive him, once this is all over.

If it's ever over.

"1017 just got back, and he's confirmed that the winds have slowed down." Matthew says as Lee joins me at my side.

"So, it's safe to travel now?" I ask him, and he nods his head.

"Yes. Ben anticipates us leaving soon." He tells us.

"How soon?" I say, nervousness climbing up my throat and complementing my words.

"Tomorrow." Matthew says.

"I'm going, too." Lee offers, and I shoot him a pointed look.

"No you're not! It's going to be dangerous, Lee-"

"That's just the thing, Viola." Matthew interjects, alarm now swirling in his Noise. I turn to him and cross my arms.

"What is it?" I ask. "What's gone wrong?"

Matthew takes a deep breath before continuing. "While 1017 was out scouting the forest, he saw more hate propaganda written on trees in red paint. But it's not my father who's doing the work..."

"Then who is it?" I ask before he can continue.

"1017 said that it's his followers - and there are a lot. The night that Todd and I fought him, he may of only have fifteen or twenty. But now he's got nearly a hundred. 1017 saw them all in the forest, painting the signs and screaming his chants. And if they don't want to hear us out or compromise... we might have a war on our hands."

I blink a few times, letting this news sink in. Neither one of them can read me, but all kinds of emotions are swirling around. Nervousness, fear, worry-

"So... so what are you saying?" I ask Matthew. "We're going to need an army?"

Matthew's lips form a straight line and he nods. "It might come down to that. The six of us will be no match for a group that large."

I close my eyes and sigh. "There's got to be another way, Matthew."

"Let me join-" Lee tries.

"Lee!" I say, louder than I intend.

"Let him join, Viola." Matthew says.

I close my eyes tight and let out a deep sigh, trying to prevent myself from responding too harshly. Who is Matthew to tell me what to do? If he would have told us about his father's hate group sooner, I wouldn't be trying to talk my friend out of participating in another war. He's lucky even I'm willing to help fight back - if it weren't for Todd keeping me in line, he and his sister would have been done for by now.

But I don't say any of this, because we are already in enough trouble as it is, and I can't afford to be the bad guy right now.

"I'm not putting anymore people in danger." I say to them both. "We're just going to have to use who we have."

Lee's Noise lets me know that he's really annoyed with me. I also read his idea to go talk to Ben about this instead, who will probably allow him to come with us. But before he walks away from me, he says simply,

"You can't protect us all forever, Vi."

I listen as he and his angry Noise walk away from me, until he's out of sight and it's just me and Matthew. I use this moment to make a pointed statement.

"Just so you know, the council usually makes decisions together. We compromise." I say to him.

Matthew doesn't look apologetic.

"I didn't realize how indifferent you'd be about it." He admits.

"Yeah, well, I am." I say, getting ready to reprimand him some more, but I bite back my harsh comment once I hear Todd's Noise approach us.

"So you know we're leavin' already?" He asks.

"Yeah. Matthew told me." I say, not meaning to sound bitter but it is coming off that way anyways.

Todd narrows his eyes, then looks back and forth between Matthew and I.

"You two need to start gettin along before we head out." Todd says.

"And when will that be exactly?" I ask him, trying to divert the conversation from Matthew and I.

"Tomorrow mornin." Todd says, like it's no big deal. "Ben says we should get some rest before we go."

And suddenly I feel like I really do need rest, even though I've barely done anything in the last couple of days. But the thought of possibly walking into another fight in less than twenty-four hours already has me on edge.

"Good call. I'm going to go see if Ben needs anymore help before we leave." Matthew says, leaving the circle. Now is when I stop pushing my emotions down, revealing my irritation with Matthew in my Noise to Todd.

"What is it now?" he asks me immediately.

"He just told Lee that he could come with us after I told Lee he couldn't. It's going to be too dangerous for him." I admit.

Todd sighs before continuing. "Lee will be fine, Viola. If he could handle the mayor and his whole army he can handle this too.."

"It's not just about that." I interrupt him. "He told Lee he could go without even considering how I felt about it. And that's not how we do things."

"I'm sure he didn't mean nothin' bad by it."

I pull my lips inside of my mouth and close my eyes, sighing. Even after all he's been through, Todd is still so trusting and forgiving and able to see the good side of people. It almost crushes me to try to convince him otherwise.

But not when our safety depends on it.

"Todd, I know he's given us a good excuse for what he did. But we're in this mess _because_of Matthew. He shouldn't be the one calling all the shots!"

"He ain't callin all the shots. It was just one." Todd says. I start to protest further, but he places a hand on my elbow and pulls me towards the little corner we've been holed up in for the past three days.

"I promise yer it'll be okay. He's just tryna help."

There's so much I want to say against this statement, but I've grown tired of arguing and fighting with everyone. My dislike towards Matthew isn't going to solve the larger issue – which is facing the Question tomorrow.

This is what I choose to focus on for the remainder of the evening and well into the night, so much so that I dream about it. It isn't a dream with clear events; just lots of smoke, loud gunshots, spackle covered in blood, and Mattew Lyle stabbing Todd in the chest-

I quickly jolt out of my sleep, inhaling harshly as if I were drowning. As my vision becomes less blurry, I realize that it was just a dream, seeing the many settlers sleeping on the ground of the ship and Todd's Noise humming calmly next to me. I am amazed at how soundly he's able to sleep, just hours away from approaching what could be another war.

I lay back down on the floor and attempt to goto sleep, but I toss and turn for nearly an hour before I decide to give up. Instead, I push off my elbows and stand, careful not to wake Todd, and walk as quietly as I can into the control room. I had hoped to have some alone time just staring out the window, watching the snow fall, but am met with Bradley sitting in the main chair. I try to turn around as soon as I see him, wanting to avoid an awkward conversation, but he catches me before I get the chance.

"What are you doing up?" he asks me. "Aren't you all leaving in the morning?"

I don't step any further into the room, but I do answer his question.

"Couldn't sleep." I tell him. "What's your excuse for being up?"

"Same reason." He tells me. "Just worried about you guys, is all."

This is the most that Bradley and I have said to each other since our argument the other day, and I wonder if I should take this as an opportunity to make amends. I'm not the best with apologies, and neither is Bradley, so I settle for something in between.

"You shouldn't be worried. We've done this plenty of times before." I say, taking two steps into the room. Bradley raises out of his chair.

"I know. But I can't help it." He tells me. An awkward silence falls over us both, but I can hear the words "I'm sorry" floating around in his Noise.

"I am too." I say, breaking the silence. "I shouldn't have reacted so harshly to what you said."

Bradley laughs a little. "Reacting harshly is what you do. I was the one who should have seen it coming."

We both share a laugh before a look of seriousness passes over his face.

"Look, Viola." He starts. "I know I've grilled you in the past about prioritizing peace over your emotions. But after what has happened to our people and what Laura did to you, I can't look past it anymore. I really do believe that this is a lost cause now… and I can't see you get hurt believing that it isn't."

I pause for a moment, reflecting on all the times that Bradley reprimanded me for blaming 1017 and Matthew on things that I couldn't prove. Now he's the one going against them, and I'm the one about to go into a war at their side.

Oh how things can ruddy change.

"I get it Bradley." I respond. "But if we don't do something about the Question now, they'll never leave us alone."

I expect Bradley to continue the argument, but to my surprise, he smiles, then speaks again.

"You are so much like your parents, it isn't even funny. So determined and willing to fight for those you love."

And my heart suddenly feels heavy and my eyes wet with tears. With everything that's been going on, I haven't had much time to think about my parents, who I lost just last year, and I somewhat feel guilty. Guilty for moving on so easily. But who could blame me? I'd met Todd and Hildy and Ben and Lee and reunited with Bradley and even am getting along better with Steff. My parents will always be in my heart – but these people have become my family now.

And I'll stop at nothing to save them all.

Bradley notices the tear that falls onto my cheek and walks over to wipe it away.

"I know, I know. I miss them too." Bradley whispers.

"They would've wanted me to do this." I say between sobs. "They would've wanted me to save the settlers, the Spackle. Everyone. That's what they came here for."

Bradley nods. "You're right."

"So, you're okay with me going?"

"No, Viola, I'm not. But I understand why you feel obligated to."

I look away from his eyes, disappointed that we're still not on the same page, but grateful that we at least understand each other.

"That's all I ask." I tell him, stifling a yawn.

"You'd better get back to sleep." Bradley says, walking past me and towards the door. The lights are dim in the control room, and I only get a glimpse of his face for a tiny second but I can see tears forming in his eyes.

"Bradley?" I say, causing him to stop.

"Yes?" He asks, sniffling.

But I don't say what, just walk up to him, arms outstretched, and embrace him into a hug. His Noise is curious at first, but settles down as he wraps his arms around me, like a father would. I can tell that he's holding back tears, just as I am, and I begin to wonder if this is the last time I'll ever get to hug him.

"I'll miss you out there." I say, letting him go.

He smiles a little, then lightly knuckles me on the chin. "Just try to make it back in one piece."

I don't know if it's something I can promise, so instead of speaking further, we both head out of the control room and into the main area. Bradley walks me to the corner that Todd and I have been sharing, but when we get there, I notice that he's gone, just a heap of blankets where his body would be.

"Where's Todd?" Bradley asks, and I shrug.

"I don't know. He was still sleeping when I got up…" I say. "Maybe Ben knows."

So Bradley and I walk together to where Ben normally sleeps on the other side of the ship, but he's gone too. We try looking for Matthew next, then Hildy, then Lee, and I come to find that none of the team is anywhere to be found. I start to panic at their absence, what if they all decided to leave without me? What if Todd had this planned all along, just to keep me safe?

"Let's go check outside." I say hurriedly. If there are footsteps in the snow, that will give me my answer.

Bradley unlocks the door to the scout ship, then lets down the ramp. I breathe a sigh of relief when I see everyone standing outside, all huddled in a circle, but that relief is quickly replaced with fear when I sense the alarm in the boy's Noise. I stumble down the ramp of the ship to meet them.

"What's going on?" I say, standing between Todd and Lee.

"There you are." Todd says. "I was lookin for yer."

"I got up, couldn't sleep." I tell him, then look to everyone else. "What happened?"

"1017 found this on his way back from helping the other Spackle." Matthew says, shoving a little book towards me. I take it from his hands and realize that it's a Bible. I stare at it, not sure what it means, until Matthew further elaborates.

"Open it. There's a message inside."

So I do, and I see that there's a piece of paper shoved between the pages.. I have to squint my eyes to read such little print in the dark, but the message is loud and clear once I do.

The boy's Noise is more powerful than you think. Bring him to us, alone, and all of this will end.

And my heart stops-

Cause all we'd have to do-

Is send Todd to him-

To end everything-

And I already know I won't do it-

That I'd never allow him to go alone-

Would never sacrifice Todd for the entire community-

But standing next to me-

With guilt in his eyes-

I can tell that's he's considering it.

"What does he mean, Todd's Noise is more powerful than we think?" I ask, diverting my question to 1017 and Ben.

_**I'm not sure.**___Ben says, worried. Then 1017 speaks up.

_**His Noise simply connects to the Land and everyone else on it. I'm not sure how that applies to what The Question wants.**___

"Well, there's only one way to find out." Todd says, and I whip my head in his direction.

"You're not going alone." I say to him. "Eric could easily be lying."

"No." Matthew says, now. "My father is a lot of things but he isn't a liar."

I narrow my eyes at him. "Unlike yourself."

"Viola, c'mon-" Todd pleads.

"NO Todd. You're not going alone!"

"He could speak to my father while the rest of us keep watch." Matthew says. "We have com devices to hear everything he's saying and could attack him if he tries anything. But sending Todd might be our only chance."

Before I know it, I'm stomping in the snow, straight over to Matthew, until I'm just a few feet away from him.

"What did I tell you about making decisions as a group? You can't just order us all around, especially when we're in this mess because of YOU. First you want Lee to join us, now you want to send Todd over to your crazy father-" I state.

But to my surprise, Matthew angrily charges toward me, closing the gap between us, and I stumble backwards. "You don't think I know that already? Why can't you see that I made a mistake and am trying to fix it?!"

"Matthew, calm yerself down!" Hildy screams, running over to hold him back.

But not before Todd sprints to him first.

"Don't you walk up on her like that!" Todd says, Lee grabbing onto his shoulders to keep him from punching Matthew in the face.

_**Everybody just calm down!**_ Ben says, loud enough so that everyone freezes.

_**Matthew and Viola, you both need to find common ground, or else stopping the Question will be impossible. You both want the same thing, yet are fighting each other over how to get it done. **_

Matthew, still being held down by Hildy, looks up at me. "I'm sorry, Viola. I didn't mean to get angry with you. I just... I just don't want my father to gain any more of a following than what he already has. He's a horrible person, and now even my sister has fallen for his evil schemes. I can't lose her to all of this too."

I pause for a moment, regaining my breath, before reconciling with him.

"It's alright." I say, quietly. "But you have to understand that, even though you've lost a lot, I have too. And Todd isn't up for debate."

"Then I'll go with him." Matthew says. "My father's note said that he wants Todd alone, but he won't harm him if I'm there. You have my word on that."

And I feel my heart sink to my stomach, just the idea of trusting Matthew with Todd, with my Todd-

"He ain't gonna hurt me." Todd says now, reading my Noise. "And if anything happens, I know you got my back. Right?"

And it takes everything in me not to burst into tears, not to take his hand and run away into the forest, away from all of this chaos, but I know that it will just follow us, wherever we go. So, I nod my head, and try to believe in what he's saying, try to trust that Matthew won't let him get hurt.

"Okay." I say, as quiet as possible, and Todd takes my hand.

Everyone else shakes their head, approving of the plan.

_**Good. Now let's all get some rest, now.**___Ben says, being the first to walk towards the ramp of the ship. Everyone else follows in suit, Todd and I holding up the rear, fingers still interlocked, with all of our fears and doubts but the tiniest bit of hope pressing into the palms of each other's hands.


	30. Chapter 30

Authors Note: Hey y'all! I cannot believe this is the 30th chapter of this story. This one was really fun to write (probably because I wrote it in the midst of finals, which is a HUGE stress reliever for me) and I hope you like it, too. School is over for me now so more chapters will be up this week!

[Todd]

The trip back to the settlement shouldn't take us long, but walkin thru all the snow ain't helpin too much.

_**The snow is slowing us down a lot.**_ Ben says, reading my Noise. _**But we're almost there.**_

"Are you sure, Ben?" Viola asks. She's a little ahead of us, pulling her legs up and down as she marches through the snow. "I feel like we're getting further from the settlement. Not closer."

It don't help much that there's four people here who can connect to the Land - me Viola 1017 and Ben - because for some reason, we're all gettin different readings of where we're at. We decided to follow Ben's Noise, cuz he's the reliable one of the group, and even though it does seem like we're kinda lost, I don't say nothin about it.

Cuz I'm too nervous, thinkin about my meeting with Eric, to do anything else.

"Y'all been back and forth thru here plenty of times during the war, I reckon?" Hildy speaks up beside Viola.

"We have." Viola tells her. "But ever since Todd woke up we've just flown the scout ship back and forth. It's been a while since we've traveled on foot."

My eyes are fixed on the ground, but I can sense Viola turning around to check on me for the millionth time on this journey. She's got a look on her face and a feeling coming from her Noise as if she's askin me, "You okay?"

_**Yes.**_ I respond with my Noise, only for her to hear. But Viola don't look convinced, cuz she's reading the nervousness coming from my Noise and the the worry I'm sure is written all over my face and how I keep wonderin if this is all a trap, if it's a bad idea, if I'm just puttin my friends, my family, my Viola in danger-

(Shut-up)

Viola slows down until I catch up to her. Now we're walkin side by side, and she takes my hand, and I feel a little bit better.

For now.

_**Okay, this doesn't look very familiar.**_ Ben finally says.

"So... we're lost?" Lee asks now.

_**Temporarily.**_ Ben says, stopping in place. His boots sink down into the snow and he lets out a breath. Then he scratches his head while lookin up at the trees, as if he's gonna get the answer up there in the clouds or somethin.

"We gotta keep moving." Matthew says. Everyone else has stopped for a break but he marches through our circle and keeps goin. "We gotta get there before it gets dark."

"Slow down, Matthew." Lee says. "It's only the afternoon. We've got plenty of time."

Matthew huffs out a sigh, then turns around. "And Eric's got plenty of time to grow his army. If we don't hurry, we might be too late!"

"Jus calm down a second, will ya?" Hildy says, takin a long sip from her water bottle. "Ain't no use in wanderin round lost, either. Might as well rest while we can."

Me and Viola aren't opposed to this idea. The longer we don't have to deal with Eric, the better.

But Matthew insists that we keep goin.

"I'm sure if we walk just a little bit further we'll be there." He says impatiently.

"Matthew, relax." Viola now. "Let Ben think."

Matthew puts his face in his hands and sighs, lots of worry swirlin around in his Noise. I've started to learn that there ain't nothin we can do when Matthew gets like this, all uptight and anxious. Viola looks at him for a few seconds, and I'm surprised to feel sympathetic feelings comin from her palm to mine. But then they go away, and she lets go of my hand.

"I'm gonna go sit for a sec." She says to me, nudging her head towards a large rock. "Wanna join?"

"In a minute." I tell her. I don't got to say why, cuz she's already reading it in my Noise. So she just nods, then turns to go sit down, while I go in the other direction, walkin up to Matthew.

"What's yer deal?" I ask him once we're face to face and a little further from the group.

"Same as yours." He says to me. "We need to get to Eric as soon as possible before this gets worse."

"I know. But ain't nothin gonna change in a couple of minutes." I'm not too sure if that's true, cuz there ain't no tellin what Eric is capable of, but it seems like the best thing to say right now.

"You don't know my dad." Matthew says, gettin angry just talkin about him. "He's delusional, Todd. And ruthless."

"Well, that's why we're goin to meet him and talk some sense into him." I say. Matthew gives me a look as if I'm crazy, or stupid, or both.

"Don't be ridiculous, Todd. He's beyond sense at this point." He tells me.

I blink a few times before respondin. "So then what's the point of me and you going to talk to him?"

Matthew looks over to the group before grabbin my arm and turnin me away from them. Then, in a low whisper, he says to me, "You have to promise you won't repeat what I'm about to tell you, Todd."

I pull my arm away from him and give him a skeptical look. "Wut do you mean?"

He looks to the group one more time before saying it. "I have an alternate plan for when we get to my father."

Now I'm real confused, and I show him that through my Noise.

"So you been lying to us again?" I say, louder than he'd like, cuz he shushes me.

"I have a good reason, Todd."

"Just tell me what it is." I say, impatient.

Matthew looks at me for what feels like forever before he finally says it.

"I'm going to kill Eric."

I blink a couple times, not sure if I heard that right. But his Noise confirms that I did. He really is planning on killin his

"Yer serious right now?" I ask just one more time.

"I'm very serious, Todd. I know my father and he's not going to stop. He's had these crazy ideas about the Spackle since I was a little kid. He's hell bent on this movement. The only way to stop him is to kill him."

I squint my eyes at him. "You can't just go killing yer own kin like that." I say to him.

"Sure I can. I almost did, that night he attacked the settlement. And I'll do it again in a heartbeat."

I look from Matthew, to the trees, then back to Matthew. He's got a crazed look in his eyes, and I start to question if I should really be trustin him right now. He's planning a secret assassination that's more likely to start a war than just talkin to the man.

"That ain't reasonable." I tell him. "Yer just goin to start a war by killing him. All his followers will come after us. And we ain't in no place to fight them all."

"His followers won't be a problem, not if it hasn't gotten too big already. That's why we need to get there now." He says, pointing forward.

"And when were you plannin on tellin me this?" I say.

"I wasn't, at first. While you two had your conversation, I planned on shooting him. Right then and there." He says, and I narrow my eyes.

"Are yer crazy?!" I say, shouting real loud now. "You were gonna shoot and kill someone RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME without me knowin!?"

Now everyone looks up, all eyes on us. Viola stands up, and I can tell she's wonderin if she should come over thru her Noise.

"Todd, please." He says, tryin to beg before Viola decides to run over here. If he thinks my reaction is bad, just wait till Viola finds out about his little operation.

"I ain't helpin you do it, if that's what you want." I say. "You know I ain't doin nothin that'll put Viola in danger, and that's exactly what will happen if you kill Eric. A whole war'll break out. Then how am I supposed to protect them? Protect her?"

Matthew sighs impatiently before going on, "If you haven't already noticed, Todd, we ARE in the middle of a war. Spackle are dead, our people are afraid, and Eric is running the show. If he's dead, it'll all be over."

I shiver at that word, "over," cuz it ain't ever really over. We killed Aaron, we killed the mayor, but somehow we're still fighting this same fight.

"Killin ain't the answer." I say to him one last time. "If you go thru with it I won't help you."

Matthew pauses for a moment. I expect him to want to fight me on the issue, but instead, he doesn't.

"That's fine, Todd. I don't want you to kill him anyways. I just need you as a distraction, so that I can do it myself."

"Matthew, you've lost yer mind if you really-"

"Think about it, Todd. How many times did you try to reason with the enemy, only for it to not work out? In the end, killing was the answer." He tries to persuade me.

And I can't lie, cuz it's partially true. We killed Aaron and that stopped him from chasing after me and Viola. We killed the mayor, and that stopped his war on us and the Spackle. But that's all temporary. What happens when the next person we don't agree with comes along? We can't just keep killin when we ain't on the same page. That aint the kind world we want it to be.

But if Eric don't listen-

If he still wants to harm the Spackle-

Still wants to stop our mission for peace-

What other choice do we have?

Matthew can tell I'm contemplatin his idea.

"He said if I talk to him, then it'll all be over." I say. "At least let me figure out what he wants with me. With my Noise. And if it's bad, then. Yeah. Go thru with yer plan."

I almost don't believe I'm sayin it. But his life ain't the one I'm tryin to save.

"So you're willing to sacrifice yourself, instead of just getting rid of the enemy?" Matthew asks.

"It wouldn't be my first time." I tell him, which is true. I've been willing to put myself over everyone else for a long time now. Probably the guilt from what I did to the Spackle, to the women, to everyone, back when I was the mayor's son.

So possibly having to sacrifice myself now seems like a fair trade.

"Okay. First we talk. Then we kill, if necessary."

Matthew claps me on the shoulder, then starts to walk back over to the group. But before he gets too far away, he turns around to tell me, "Don't mention it to everyone else."

I nod my head just a little bit, knowin that I won't be able to keep that promise. Even if I tried to, Viola wud see it all in my Noise in an instant. Plus, she deserves to know, deserves to know if she's gonna be in another fight again.

If she's got my back-

I've got hers-

But for some reason, once I get back over to her, my mind goes completely blank.

"What was that all about?" She asks, standin in front of me now.

"Uhh. Nothin. Matthew is just..." I want to say he's 'just plannin on killin his father and starting up another war'. But instead I only say, "Paranoid."

Viola nods. "Figures. He's a little bit crazy, that guy."

Yer tellin me.

"Telling you what?" She reads, eyes narrow now.

"Nothin. I was just agreein with you."

"What are you not telling me, Todd?"

Damnit. She knows me too well.

"Yeah, I ruddy do." Viola reads again. She looks over her shoulder at Matthew, who's havin a conversation with Lee and 1017 now, and then she puts her eyes back on me.

"You gotta promise not to say anything." I say to her, really tryin to hide it in my Noise.

"Depends on what you say, Todd." She says, putting her hands on her hips.

"Viola."

"Todd."

"You can't say nothin."

She looks mad, but it's irritatin her more that I'm coverin up my Noise more than anything, so she complies.

"Okay. Fine."

"Matthew is plannin on killin Eric. When we meet him." I finally admit.

Viola's eyes go wide with shock, anger pulsin thru her Noise. I feel like I gotta step away from her before she explodes or somethin.

"What?" She says. "Where did he get that idea from? I thought meeting up and talking to him was enough!"

"Yeah, I know, that's what I told him. But he's sayin that there ain't no point in talkin, cuz Eric won't listen either way. He was just tryin to use me to get to his dad easily so he cud kill him."

Viola looks like she's about to kill someone.

"I knew we couldn't trust him." She says, eyes fixed on Matthew. She starts stomping thru the snow, headed in his direction, but I grab her around the waist and pull her back.

"Hey, Viola." I say, tryin get her to stop scowling and look at me. "I know it doesn't seem right."

"Yeah, no shit Todd!" She hisses, but in a whisper. "Killing Eric could start a war right then and there. There's no telling who will be after you once it's done! If Matthew wants to kill his dad, let him do it. But not while you're there. Absolutely not."

"He ain't gonna kill him right away." I say softly, so that Viola will calm down, but it ain't workin. "We're gonna talk to him first. But then, if he still ain't listenin, Matthew is gonna kill him."

Viola's got a blank look on her face, but her Noise is anything but.

"You know that won't end well. Killing isn't always the way to settle things." She says, her eyes glossin over.

"I don't think it'll come to that." I tell her. "But if he ain't listenin, it's the only chance we've got."

Viola bites her lip before nodding. "Only if I go with you."

"Yer not comin, Viola."

"Yes I am."

"Eric said only me."

"But you're taking Matthew with you."

"Yeah, for protection."

"So, you trust Matthew more than me?"

"No, I want to protect you more than him."

"Todd, we are beyond protection at this point."

"Not while I'm effing alive, we're not. I'll do anything to keep you safe and that means yer not comin."

Viola forms a tight line with her lips, frustration coming off her Noise, and she's givin me that look, that look she gets when she's got another plan underway.

"Fine. I won't go." She says, now walkin away from me, re-joinin the group. I know she's plannin on doin somethin now, cuz she gave up way too easily. It makes me mad that I can only feel her emotions instead of reading her thoughts, cuz that way I'd know what she's thinkin. Why can't she just listen? Why can't she just understand that I'm tryin to protect her? Why can't she just let me be the leader I'm supposed to? I stay away from the group for a few more minutes so she don't hear how frustrated I am, sittin down on the rock and buryin my head in my hands.

_**Hey, Todd, you ready to go?**_ Ben says a moment later. Everyone's got their backpacks on and are startin to head out.

"Yeah. Let's go." I say, pushin up and walkin next to my father.

Ben and I walk behind the rest of the group. It's gettin colder, wind smackin us hard in the face. I try to tell Ben somethin but he can't hear me, not over the wind, so I use my Noise instead.

_**I need you to keep an eye on Viola while we meet up with Eric.**_ I tell him.

_**Why's that?**_ Ben says. _**She's her own girl. She can watch after herself. **_

_**I think she's gonna try to sneak along with me and Matthew. But I don't want her to.**_ I say.

_**I see.**_ Ben says. _**Even though I understand her concern.**_

_**Now yer ruddy worried, too?**_ I tell him, shocked.

_**I'm always worried about you, Todd. **_

I shake my head at this. _**Well, you don't need to be.**_ _**If I cud handle Aaron and the mayor, I can handle this, too. **_

_**But did you handle them all on your own? Or did you have us help you? Last time I checked Viola was the one who killed Aaron. And saved you at the bridge. And she's been saving you, ever since. **_Ben says, and it gets me thinkin. I ain't never been on my own, even when I was by myself. Viola has always been there for me.

But now, it's time that I do the same for her.

_**Just please watch after her, Ben. Promise me. **_I say. Ben don't try to convince me otherwise, just nods his head in agreement. I leave it at that, lookin forward as we continue to walk, and I do my best to hide my new plan in my Noise.

…

It's gettin too cold and too windy and too dark for us to keep travelin, so we all make the decision, against Matthew's will, to call it a night. We find a sort of cave in the middle of the forest, decidin it'll be the best spot to stay until mornin, and start a fire before rollin out the sleepin bags and settling in. Viola and I lay next to each other, away from everyone else, like we always do. She's real tired, so she don't notice me hidin my thoughts in my Noise, and as soon as I know she's sound asleep, I get out of my sleepin bag.

I walk around to everyone's spot, makin sure they're all asleep. When that's confirmed, I slide my pack on, and walk outside of the cave and into the night. Just before my feet hit the snow, I pray that Viola can forgive me for what I'm about to do. I know she'll be mad, so furious her Noise just might explode, but I gotta do this, I gotta do it for her.

I gotta confront Eric on my own.

We were closer to the settlement than we thought. I can see it in between the trees, just a few of our buildings still standin and covered in snow. Once I'm out of the forest and in the open, I can hear a little bit of Noise comin from the area. Most of it is just men sleepin, dreamin pointless things, but as I get closer I can detect the Noise of exactly who I'm lookin for.

Eric.

I can hear his Noise comin from the center of the settlement. I hide behind one of the buildings and peek around, seein him on his knees, in the snow, prayin in his Noise and out loud.

For me.

"Please, Lord, bring Todd to me. Let him realize his destiny. Help him to understand that he is the key to ending this treacherous storm, the only way we can live according to your will. Please, please.." he goes on, and in that instant I don't think, just do, just go right on out there and confront him.

_**Eric! **_I shout with my Noise, tryin to scare him. He raises up, causin snow to fly into the air, then turns to me, a look of shock on his face.

"My prayers have been answered." He whispers.

_**Don't start that with me. **_I say, plantin my feet in the snow, a good distance away from him. _**What is it that you want?**_

Eric looks at me, that same crazed look in his eyes as his son. "Are you alone?"

I look around, then back to him. _**What's it look like? **_

Eric chuckles. "Oh, Todd. You are very sarcastic. Not a typical personality trait of a savior."

_**What do you mean, savior? **_I ask him.

Eric smiles, claps his hands together, then starts walkin towards me. I ain't have no intention on killin him, but I'm not stupid enough to not bring a weapon, just in case I had to protect myself. I whip out my gun and point it at Eric to keep him from steppin any closer.

_**Back up and answer the question! **_I shout.

He stops walkin but that smile stays on his face. "Todd, I am not going to hurt you. You and I want the same thing."

_**No, we don't. Yer CRAZY. Killin the Spackle, blamin the Snowscape on them. I'm not like you. **_I say.

"But we both want _peace _and _order. _Do you want to live in these conditions forever, Mr. Hewitt? Piled underneath snow and amongst aliens, like the spackle?"

_**I ain't got no problem with the Spackle. **_I tell him. But I leave out the part about the Snowscape. It seems like it's only gettin worse, and there ain't no tellin when it'll be over.

"What if I told you there was a way for you to stop it, with your Noise?" Eric says, readin my Noise. "A way to connect to the Land, and get rid of the Snowscape? Restore God's planet to the way he intended it to be?"

My heart rams into my chest, my mouth gettin dry, and I break into a sweat, even tho it's ruddy cold right now. A way to stop the Snowscape… with my Noise? It ain't possible.

_**You don't know what yer talkin about. **_I tell Eric.

"Oh, but I do Todd. I've spent many years studying Noise, how it works with this planet, and we have more power over it, and the Land, than we think."

_**Well, if you know so much about it, why can't you do it yerself? **_I ask him.

"Because, Todd. Some of us are meant to preach. Others are meant to _save._"

_**I won't do it. **_I say to him. _**I don't ruddy trust you. **_

Now, Eric's lip twitches, and his eyes narrow.

"Oh, Todd. I thought you and I would be able to do this the easy way. I give you a chance to be the hero you'd like to be, to save your community, and you decline it. All because you're too blind to see your true _purpose. _For that I'm afraid things will have to be done the hard way. Laura!"

And before I know it, Matthew's sister comes runnin from behind a building, attackin me before I get a chance to shoot, then stabs me with a thick needle. I wince in pain as my body slams into the snow, and I don't even get a chance to reach for the comm in my pocket before I start fading out of consciousness.

"What… did you… do…" I'm sayin, snow on my lips. Strong hands reach for my body, pickin me up, then I'm slung over someone's shoulders.

"I did what had to be done. For the good of the community." Eric says. "Now you'll have no choice but to-"

And I can't believe what it is that I hear next-

The one who's always there to save me-

It's Viola-

Viola, Viola, Viola.

"TODD!" she shouts, sprintin thru the snow, all her love and anger and passion burstin in her Noise. "YOU LET HIM GO!"

"Take care of her, Laura!" Eric yells. Laura nods before sprintin towards Viola, who stumbles into the snow, givin Laura an advantage on her. They fight for a few moments, tumbling and punchin, and Viola puts on a good fight, but it don't end up in her favor. Laura ends up stabbing her too, her body fallin limp into the snow, and I can't scream, cuz I'm too out of it, almost gone, but my Noise is outraged, outraged because I tried to do this on my own, tried to keep everyone safe, and I failed.

"You have not failed anyone, Todd Hewitt." Eric says, readin my Noise just before I go completely unconscious. "Your purpose has _just begun."_


	31. Chapter 31

Author's Note: Ahh I feel like it's taken forever to get to this chapter! Hope y'all like it, it was really fun to write!

{Viola}

"I swear to God once I'm out of these ropes I am going to KILL YOU." I screech, my voice cracking, throat burning. I've been yelling for hours now, screaming to be let go, ever since I'd woken up. It's caused serious damage to my vocal cords, but I don't care, not one bit. Putting myself through that kind of pain is worth the frightened look that passes over Laura's face.

But she's only afraid of my words for a moment, as I am sitting on the floor, arms and legs tied, and can't actually hurt her. She grins before casually leaning against the wall, crossing her feet in front of her.

"I don't know what Todd sees in you." She starts. "You're way too stubborn and have a terrible attitude."

I narrow my eyes at her. "Well, that was just a preview. You haven't seen how angry I can really get. But don't worry, you will. And it's not going to be pretty." I say, my voice hoarse, raspy, but completely serious.

"I'm not afraid of you." Laura says, pushing off the wall and walking towards me. She squats down and leans forward, face only inches away from mine. "They all talked about you like you were some kind of legend. A female hero who was unstoppable. But I've defeated you _twice _now. You're no threat at all. You're just pathetic."

Her words get a rise out of me and I jerk myself forward, a desperate attempt to strike at her. But Laura just steps back and laughs.

"Just stop, Viola. It's over." She says, turning towards the little window that's fixed into the wall. She looks left, then right, as if she's looking for someone.

"What is it that you want from me?" I say. If threatening her isn't working, maybe getting some information about her father's operation will.

"Absolutely nothing." She says, back still facing me. "You're beyond useless. I just have to keep you out of the way so my father can get the most out of Todd. But he can't do that with you being an overprotective little girlfriend."

I swallow the harsh comeback that sits on my tongue and clear my throat, continuing to ask questions that'll help, rather than hurt, in this situation.

"Well, what does your father want with Todd?" I say.

Now she turns around to face me. "Viola, don't play dumb. You're incredibly annoying but not stupid. You know what my dad wants."

"He wants Todd's Noise." I say. "But what is he doing with it? And how? Is Todd being hurt?"

Laura sighs, then leans against the wall again. "He's going to save this planet with it. Similar to what you and your council tried to do. Except my father's plan is going to actually _work _this time. Peace and love. Pfft, give me a break." She says, mocking the words from my initial speech.

"Fine. Don't tell me." I say, tired of searching for answers but getting nothing in return. I hang my head down and have to fight back tears, the worry for Todd building in my Noise, complemented by my frustration with him. Why did he have to run off like that? Without telling me, or anyone else? If Todd would have let me go with him, I could've been there to fight Laura. Could've been there to fight Eric.

Could have been there to save him.

I do not dare make my emotions known to Laura. She already sees me as weak and incapable. I don't want to give her any other reason for believing I wouldn't kill her, right here, right now, if it weren't for these ropes holding me down. So I fight the tears and erase Todd from my mind.

For now.

"Cheer up, Viola. At least you get to be a prisoner in this nice, heated, protected building instead of our there freezing with those aliens." She says.

"I'd rather freeze to death than be anywhere near you, or your father." I say.

Laura grins, then walks over to the door. She pulls it open, but doesn't go until she adds, "Wow, Viola. Your stubbornness is almost hilarious. I'll be back in an hour, with your dinner. Maybe."

And then she's gone, locking the door behind her.

I let out a frustrated sigh as I lean my head back onto the wall behind me. There are a million different things running through my mind right now, anger with Eric, rage with Laura, frustration with Matthew, and absolute sadness for Todd. I have no idea where he's at, or what Eric is putting him through, or if he's even alive, and now I can't help but let the tears fall, my heart breaking for the one person I care about the most. My sobs are silent but intense, and I let myself cry and cry and cry for what feels like forever, until I'm completely empty, until there is nothing left but the silence of this lonely, dark room.

And I sit there until the sun comes up, taking in the silence, my mind completely blank, until I hear something-

Someone-

Who's waking up-

Who's asking for someone-

Who's asking for me-

It's Todd.

"Todd?" I say, confused at first, wondering if I'm dreaming.

_**Viola? Viola? **_I hear it again, a little more clear this time. And then my eyes go wide and my heart nearly stops-

Because it's actually Todd-

It's his Noise-

And he hears mine-

From the other side of the wall.

"Todd!" I whisper scream. "Can you hear me?"

But no, he can't, he can only feel my Noise, feel the emotions that I'm giving off. He must be laying on the other side of this wall, which is how we can hear each other, since we're close enough. I almost want to cry, so ruddy thankful for this connection that we have now. For this connection that could bring us back to each other.

_**Viola, I can feel you, I can feel yer Noise. I know yer there. **_He tells me.

"Todd, that's great, that's so great. I can hear you, too." I say quietly, trying my best to give off feelings of joy.

_**Are you okay? Are you hurt? **_He asks, and I nod, as if he could see me.

"I'm okay." I say, showing him that I'm unharmed through my Noise.

Relief fills his Noise before responding again.

_**Thank goodness. I don't know what I would've done if you weren't okay. Viola, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for leavin and not tellin you about it. It was a stupid idea and I shouldn't of done it and now I don't know what to do- **_he rambles, but I stop him by showing that I'm not mad. Not anymore, now that he's here.

I'm just glad he's okay.

And if Todd's okay, we've still got a chance.

"It's okay, Todd. I was worried sick, but all that matters is that you're okay." I say, showing him that I miss him. That I love him.

_**I miss you too. **_He says to me. _**Don't worry, Viola. I'm gonna get you out of there. **_

"But how?" I ask, confusion showing through my Noise.

_**I don't know yet. But here's what I got so far. Eric thinks I'm the savior of this planet, or somethin like that. He says my Noise can end the Snowscape. I don't know how. He says he's studied it, knows what I need to do. But I don't trust it. **_Todd tells me.

"I don't trust it, either." I say, giving off feelings of doubt.

_**He said he ain't gonna hurt me. But I don't want to be around to find out if he's lyin or not. **_He admits.

"And you won't be. I'm going to find a way to you before Eric attempts to manipulate your Noise." I say, determination pulsing through my Noise.

_**Viola. I know I ain't in no place to say this right now. But you gotta let me handle it. **_He warns_**. **_And he's right, he isn't in any place to tell me what to do, considering we're in this mess because he wouldn't listen to me, wouldn't let me help. Irritation flows from my Noise, and Todd picks up on it right away.

_**I know, Viola. I'm sorry. But Eric ain't gonna hurt me. He wants my Noise, needs to fulfill his little mission. But he won't hesitate to hurt you. **_Todd says.

I let out a breath, knowing he's right. "I can't just sit here, Todd.

_**I hate that you gotta go thru this. **_Todd says regretfully, and I look down to the floor, a question swirling in my Noise that I just have to ask.

"Why do you insist on doing this alone, Todd? I know, you say it's to protect me, but that's not how you and I work. We do things as a _team._We have to. It's the only way we know how to survive." I say, all kinds of emotions passing through the wall to him.

_**You mean more than the world to me, Viola. This whole ruddy world could fall to pieces if it means keepin you safe. And alive. **_He tells me.

"I don't want to be safe and alive if you aren't either, Todd." I say, trying to show that I cannot live without him.

_**I know, Viola. But I'm the one that got us in this mess. I'm the one who's got to fix it. **_He says.

"Todd. I am tired of you taking the blame for everything that is wrong with this world. You are the most loving most wonderful person on this planet and you've done more for us all than you should have. For that you deserve to survive, just like the rest of us." Both anger and love pulses through my Noise, causing Todd to go silent for a while.

_**I don't deserve you, Viola. **_He says, sad but lovingly.

"Yes you ruddy do." I tell him pointedly, and he smiles.

_**Well, I'm lucky then. Ain't too many like you, Viola, willing to stick around with someone like me. And for that, I ain't never gonna leave you. **_

And I smile, Noise full of love, as I say back to him. "Not never again."

Todd and I sit like that for a moment, staying connected through our Noise, after agreeing that I wouldn't do anything rash until he finds a way to me. How he's going to do that, exactly, isn't known to us at the moment, but the opportunity seems to rise when Laura comes back into my room. Todd is able to see everything that's going on through me, and without Laura knowing, since my Noise can only be seen by him. Our connection is the only thing saving us right now. Our only chance to get out of here.

"Here's your dinner." Laura says, jabbing a plate of very unappetizing food towards me.

"I'm not eating anything you bring to me." I say to her.

She forms a tight line with her lips. "As much as I'd like to poison you, or let you starve, I can't let that happen. You have to stay alive."

My stomach rumbles aggressively, but I ignore it, having gone longer without food before, and under much harsher circumstances. Instead I try to weed extra information out of what Laura just said.

"Why keep me alive? You said I was useless. Why not just kill me now and save your father the trouble?" I say.

She shrugs. "I guess I spoke too harshly. You're not _entirely _useless. We need you as an incentive. As long as Todd believes there's a chance for you to survive, he'll do what we say." Laura tells me.

"And what is it your telling him to do, exactly?" I ask, trying to get at least _some _details about their plan.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Laura says, a smug grin on her face. Then she walks up, drops the plate at my side, and I jump as it breaks against the stone floor. The food rattles off of it underneath shards of glass.

"And how do you suppose I eat that now?" I ask her, annoyed. she just shrugs.

"Hm. Guess I didn't think about that. But you'll figure it out." She says, now leaving the room.

I immediately turn my attention to Todd, who's concerned about what just happened. I show him that I'm okay, but got no useful information.

A few more hours pass. It is still daytime, as indicated by the light that pours into my cell, but the day is getting closer and closer to its end. Todd and I stay connected but I begin to lose him, sleepiness taking over my body, and I am almost out before I see someone entering Todd's room now. I jolt awake, seeing a man dressed in white robes, looking just like Aaron. It must be Eric.

Panic rises through me. Todd asks me to calm down, reassuring me that's it's okay. I try my best to believe him.

"Hello, Mr. Hewitt." Eric says, a creepy smile on his face.

_**What do you want. **_Todd says, rather than asks.

"I've come to let you know of your duties." Eric says.

_**I ain't doin nothin for you. **_He says pointedly.

"Oh, but you will. If you care about Viola's well being, that is." Eric says. Todd's Noise floods with rage.

_**You ain't puttin A HAND on her. I'll kill you dead if you do. **_Todd threatens.

Eric grins. "And I have just the person to see that you _don't _kill me. Son!"

And both of our Noises turn to shock-

Because stepping into Todd's room-

Is Matthew Lyle.

Todd instantly becomes outraged, nearly knocking over his chair in an attempt to strike at Matthew.

_**WHAT ARE YER DOING HERE? **_He screams, Noise full of anger, but not nearly as much as mine. It took everything in me to trust Matthew with Todd, with my Todd, and now he's betrayed him. Betrayed _me._

"Hello, Todd. It's good to see you." Matthew says, hands behind his back.

_**Cut the bullshit! You lied to me, you lied to us all! WE TRUSTED YOU. VIOLA TRUSTED YOU. **_Todd screams.

Matthew looks down, then back to Todd, before responding, "I had to gain your trust in order to fulfill my purpose. And that is to serve my father in his endeavor to stop the Snowscape and get rid of the Spackle."

Eric pats his son on the shoulder. "I knew you'd come around."

_**Yer both insane. I'LL KILL YOU BOTH. **_Tod screams.

"You say that now. But you will be thanking me later." Eric says. "Matthew, unchain him. It's time to go to the forest and perform the ritual."

"NO!" I say out loud, watching as Matthew approaches Todd.

_**Get yer hands off of me! **_Todd yells, struggling to get away, though failing, as Matthew is much larger and stronger. He gets Todd out of the chair, arms still behind his back, and shoves him to the ground. I scream as his face slams against the floor.

"TODD!"

_**Viola, Viola they're taking me. **_He says, now only to me.

"DON'T LET THEM!" I say desperately.

_**I ain't got a choice. **_He says, and my heart breaks, hearing the hopelessness in his voice.

"I'll find a way to you!" I say, determination filling my Noise.

_**No, Viola, stay put! I'm going to get to you. I promise. **_He says, just as Matthew pulls him onto his feet. They start shuffling him out the room, and the further he goes, the less I hear from him. My heart stops once his Noise disappears.

He is gone-

Todd is gone-

But somehow, I still don't believe it, won't let myself believe it, and I look from left to right, desperate to find something, anything, to get me out of here. My eyes fall to the shards of glass on the floor, and an idea comes to mind. I use the heels of my boots to scooch forward, then grab the largest piece with my hands still tied. I use the sharp edge to the best of my ability, sawing at the rope until it finally severs. Then I do the same to the ropes around my ankles until they, too, fall to the ground. I gasp in amazement, but waste no time being in awe of this accomplishment.

It won't mean anything unless I can get to Todd. And save him.

I run to the door, not surprised to find that it's locked. I try the window next, grabbing onto the metal bars and tugging, only to find that it's also locked in place.

"C'mon Viola, think." I say to myself, beginning to pace. There must be some kind of way to get out of here...

My concentration is broken by a scream.

I jump at the sound, then peer back out the window to find Laura, way off in the distance, in the midst of an attack. Two female figures tower over her, one holding her down, while the other ties her up. I step back from the window as they get her to her feet and approach my cell, afraid of who may be on their way to attack me. But a few moments later I recognize the pair.

Hildy.

And Steff Taylor.

"Open the door!" Steff yells at Laura, pointing a gun to her head. Hildy is holding onto Laura's arms.

"I'd rather you kill me than let my father down!" Laura shouts.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Steff says now, nudging the gun closer to her face.

"Hol on there Steff." Hildy says. "Grab her arms fer me."

Steff lets the gun down reluctantly and does what Hildy says. Then Hildy begins to pay Laura down, until she finds the key in her jacket pocket.

"Got it." Hildy says. She sticks the key into the door and cold air rushes in. I step back as Steff throws Laura into the cell.

"Viola? You in der?" Hildy asks.

"I'm here!" I yell, running from out the cell and into the darkness. I grab them both in a hug, then pull away.

"How the hell did you two find me?!" I yell.

"Matthew led us here." Hildy says.

I blink, unable to comprehend the situation. "What do you mean, Matthew led you here?"

"He's not really working for his dad. It was just a distraction so that the rest of us could come save you." Steff says. "The rest of the team is working on saving Todd. Ben, 1017. And Bradley."

I blink, completely shocked at what they're saying to me.

"So Bradley came back?" I ask.

"When he heard you was in trouble, he cudnt refuse." Hildy says.

"Now all that's left to do is save Todd." Steff says.

I nod, letting this information settle in, feeling the tiniest bit of hope, knowing that our council is working together again, understanding what it is we have to do now. I turn around quickly, shutting the prison door, and ask Hildy for the key to lock it.

"Let's go save him, then."

...

The three of us run as fast as we can through the deep snow and bitterly cold air. The sun is beginning to set, the sky getting darker and darker, but that doesn't stop our descent into the forest. I try to use my Noise to detect Todd, to see where he's at, but I've got nothing. I begin to feel as if we are running towards nothing, but refuse to give in.

Not until I find him. Not until I save him.

"Matthew said they were going to the middle of the forest. Near a really large rock!" Steff yells, panting out of breath behind me.

"An near some kind of lake!" Hildy yells.

This information causes me to pause, boots sinking down into the snow.

"I know exactly where that is." I say, thinking of the first time I brought Todd there, when I told him about the plan 1017 and Mathew made. And it is in this moment that it all makes sense to me, Matthew wanting to gain Todd's trust, wanting Todd to be on his side once his father came for us.

_When the time is right. _

I turn on my heels and head in the opposite direction, Hildy and Steff following in suit. We run for many miles, legs burning, cold wind forcing tears from our eyes, but we don't stop until we see the river, and the rock on the other side of it, and a fire burning bright. The three of us pause behind a tree, careful not to make our presence known, as we can now hear the Noise of Eric, and Matthew.

And Todd.

He hears me.

_**Viola? **_

"It's me." I say quietly. "Stay calm. I'm with Hildy and Steff. The boys are somewhere here, too. We're saving you, Todd."

There figures are hard to make out from such a long distance, but I can tell that Todd is easing up through his Noise. But not completely. He's still tied up, standing very closely to the fire, and there are a few items sitting at his feet. A bundle of leaves, a couple of rocks, a pail of water.

"This ritual must be performed, in front of our Lord, in order to restore peace and balance to this planet." Eric says. "Untie his hands, son."

Matthew steps forward, starting to untie the ropes from Todd's hands. Todd stares at him with cold eyes as he does this, then immediately punches Matthew in the face once his hands are free. Matthew doesn't fight back, allowing Todd to attack him, and I beg for Todd to stop through my Noise.

"He's on your side, Todd!" I say, showing him the truth.

Todd stops when hearing this, but it's not long before Eric smacks him in the face, sending him to the ground.

"Stop this nonsense, Todd! You are here now, and there is no getting out of it. Do as we say, or else I will have Laura punish your precious Viola!"

If we hadn't of made it in time to show Todd I was okay, he probably would have lashed out again, afraid of me getting hurt. But since he knows that I am okay, he stands, and listens.

_**What do you want me to do. **_He says.

Eric points at the items on the ground. "Each item represents a component of earth. Stick your hand in the water."

Todd bends down, momentarily touching the water, then stands back up.

"Now grab a rock and a leaf." Eric says.

Todd does so.

"Now, I need you to place a hand in the fire."

_**What? **_Todd asks, and my heart thumps in my chest.

"You heard me." Eric says. "Once you've touched all of these elements, you will use your Noise to connect to the land. Once that is done, you will step into the fire, and repeat a prayer that will restore life to the way it should be."

_**You want me to WALK INTO FIRE? **_Todd asks.

"Was there a mistake in my instruction?" Eric says. "Do it. Or Viola doesn't survive."

Todd shakes his head, knowing that I'm okay, knowing that he is lying, so instead of listening, he throws the items forcefully at Eric.

"Control him, Matthew!" Eric hollers. But Matthew doesn't listen. He gives Todd a look, who nods, and then aims the gun towards his father.

"What are you doing?" Eric asks.

Matthew hesitates before responding to his father.

"Stop this now, father. Or I'll kill you." He says, and I freeze, not believing he'll do it.

Eric grins. "So your plea to join my mission was all… a trick?"

Matthew nods slowly. "Give it up. You're outnumbered now. It's over."

"Oh, Matthew. Do not speak so permanently. People with faith as strong as mine never believe that things are truly over. Did you not think I didn't prepare for this moment? That I wouldn't know your little friends would be hiding in the forest?"

Todd's Noise rattles with fear, turning his attention towards me, and I do the same. How did he know that we'd be here?

There isn't enough time to wonder.

"AFTER THEM!" Eric screams.

A group of about ten men approach from the trees, one half running in one direction while the others come towards me, Hildy, and Steff. Hildy and Steff raise their guns to shoot, sending bullets in their direction. Shots also fire from the other side of the forest, probably coming from the boys, who are hiding on the other side. Everything is happening so fast, in such a blur, and I don't stay long enough to see if the men fall.

Instead, I run straight to Todd.

"TODD!" I scream in a panic, my Noise bursting with so much fear and determination, the most I've ever felt from it. I can feel the same coming from Todd, who's fighting off Eric. He's pulling on Todd's arm, trying to push him into the fire.

_**VIOLA!**___He says, Noise so full of all his love and devotion and willingness to save me. I use everything in my power to show him the same.

"TODD!" I shout.

_**VIOLA**__**!**_He says again, this time even louder than me. It's almost as if our Noise is getting stronger, the more we call for one another, giving me a boost in my speed and strength in my bones.

"TODD!" I say, just as I make it to him. Todd and I lock eyes on one another, an incredible strength building between our Noises, so much that it is almost unbearable. I can feel everything from him, all of his fears and his determination and is love, and he can feel the same from me. Eric let's go of Todd, a fear passing over his face at the power of our Noise, and stumbles into the snow. And it is in that moment, right as I reach for Todd, and he grabs my hand, and our fingers interlock, palms facing each other, that a power stronger than anything I've ever felt surges through our hands, and an abundance of light ruptures around us, and then we fall, down into the snow, one last flicker of Noise between us, before everything goes silent.


	32. Chapter 32

[Todd]

First thing I notice is that I'm real cold.

I open my eyes quick, the clear blue sky right above me. I try to sit up towards it, but I can't, cuz somethin real heavy is holdin me down. When I look from left to right, I see it's cuz I'm buried in the snow from the neck down.

I flail my arms and legs in a panic, sendin snow up into the air till it's no longer coverin me. Then I stand, legs wobbly at first from bein frozen still, but not enough to keep me from lookin for Viola.

"Viola!" I shout, or try to shout, but it don't come out too loud cuz my throat is all scratchy. I try my Noise instead.

Viola?! I say now. I'm turnin round in circles, markin up the snow underneath my boots, tryin to figure out where she's at. I'm no longer in the forest, a real far distance from it actually, and I start to wonder how I got all the way out here. Last I can remember, we were just at the river, Eric sendin his army on us, our Noise burstin, and then we were out. Did the explosion hurt her? Did I lose her again-

No-

I won't believe it-

I didn't lost her-

I won't lose her-

Not never again.

_**VIOLA?**_ My Noise pleads, even louder now. Its obvious she ain't out here, pointless to keep lookin around the snow. So I turn, runnin back into the forest, callin and callin for her, and I don't let myself panic, not till I got a reason to-

I ain't got to run any further before I make it back to the river. I let out a sigh of relief when I see Viola there, buried in the snow just like I was, her body unmovin. Steff and Hildy and Bradley are all standin near her, talkin quietly amongst themselves. I can make out some of the conversation in Lee's Noise, but what they're sayin ain't too much of interest to me right now. So instead of listenin I run straight to Viola, my Noise determined to get to her, to make sure she's okay. My Noise gets the groups attention, and they all turn to me with expressions that I wouldn't expect. I try to ask em if she's okay, but instead, panic passes over there faces and in Bradley's Noise. They all group up together, blocking Viola from my sight, and I'm wonderin what's goin on until I hear Ben call from behind me-

_**Todd! No! **_

Before I know it, he's grabbin me around the shoulders and attacking me into the snow.

_**Ben! What are yer doin?!**_ I holler, tryin to squirm out of his grasp, but failin.

_**You can't go to her right now. It's too dangerous**_. Ben says.

_**What do yer mean I can't go to her? It's Viola!**_ I ask, still fightin.

_**You two just caused a massive explosion with your Noise.**_ Ben says, remindin me of the incident that

just happened.

_**Well we ain't about to do it again! I just need to see if she's okay!**_ I say to him. Every muscle in my body is on fire, beggin me to stop fightin, but I don't. Not until I get back to Viola.

Cuz I promised her I would.

But Ben don't quit holdin me down, either. Instead he takes the time to tell me what's goin on.

_**The two of you can't be near each other right now. Even after you both passed out from the explosion that your Noises created, you continued to send off extremely powerful surges of light. It nearly blew down the entire forest - we had to separate the two of you a great distance just to get it to stop. You both were also overheated, so we had to bury you in the snow. Viola suffered a little more than you did. The Spackle think it's because she's not as used to her connection as you are. **_

I can barely make sense of wut Ben is tellin me. All I'm hearin is that he won't allow me to see Viola, my Viola, which only makes me want to get to her more. I get a sudden boost of energy and strength, enough to finally push Ben off of me and sprint over to where she's buried in the snow.

"Todd pup! You gotta back up there!" Hildy hollers at me.

_**VIOLA! I**_ shout, ignorin their protests and runnin on anyways, hopin that maybe she'll hear me.

"Bradley, go stop him!" Steff yells, terrified. Bradley looks like he don't want to do it, and he even says an apology to me in his Noise before he comes runnin right for me. Once we're close enough he grabs me by the shoulders, tryna push me back, but I don't let him. I shove him as hard as I can, back into the snow, and keep runnin until I'm finally by Viola's side.

"Viola..." I whisper, crouchin down beside her. She ain't awake but she is breathin. I touch my fingertips to her face and notice her skin is hot, even tho she's layin in the snow.

Hildy and Steff and Bradley and Ben all stand over me now.

"See, ain't nothin bad gonna happen." I tell them all.

"Maybe now that you're both calmed down, it's safe." Bradley says. I take my eyes off of Viola and look up to him.

"What are yer doin here? I thought you didn't want nothin to do with the mission no more?" I ask him.

Bradley crosses his arms. "I wasn't. But when I heard you got Viola captured... I had to help."

My lips form a tight line. Bradley is clearly blamin me for Eric gettin a hold of Viola. And even tho I promised to get her out, I wasn't the one who did it. So I ain't mad at him for thinkin that.

And no one is blamin me for it more than I already am, myself.

"It's okay, Todd." Bradley says, reading the apologetic feelings in my Noise. "She's safe now. So we think."

We all turn our attention back to Viola. Her eyelashes are flutterin, her heart beat pickin up, her Noise searching for something. We all hold our breath, waitin to see if she'll wake up, waitin to see if she's actually okay. Her lips part slightly, eyes barely open, when she finally says in a low whisper, "Todd?"

"It's okay, Viola. I'm right here." I tell her, then hurriedly start movin the snow off her body. "Help me get her out!"

Everyone joins the effort, throwin snow to the sides until she's uncovered. We help her sit up - for some reason she feels much heavier than usual. When she's kinda sittin up, supported from behind by Hildy, she finally looks at me, eyes wide, full of worry-

"Todd, what happened? Are you okay?"

And as soon as my Noise matches the worry in her Noise-

And as soon as I grab her hand, to show her that I'm okay, that I'm here, right here for her-

It happens again.

It ain't as strong as the first time, but a powerful force builds between mine and Viola's hands, so strong that a light forms and it blows us back a couple of feet. I go tumblin backwards thru the snow while Viola goes tumblin in the other direction. Ben and Bradley are pushed back too.

I wince before sittin up on my knees, lookin confused at the palms of my hands.

"What the hell was that?" I ask. Ben stands up next to me, shakin snow outta his hair.

_**I told you.**_ He says. More like a brother who's teasin than my father. _**Your Noises overreact when you're overly emotional. **_

I look across the snow, watching as Hildy helps Viola stand up. Her back is turned away from me, but I can feel all kinds of worry comin from Viola's Noise, and her worryin mixed with my worryin makes that same feelin spark in my palms. I take two steps towards her just to test it, and it turns out that they're right, that the closer I get to her, the more powerful it gets. Ben puts a hand on my chest and holds me back.

_**Let her calm down first**_. Ben says to me.

"She ain't gonna calm down." I tell him, a matter of fact. "It's Viola."

Ben shrugs as Bradley walks up to us. "She will. But as long as your emotions are running rampant, you two need to stay separated."

I shake my head at them. "No. You can't keep us apart, I just got back to her!"

I look out the corner of my eye, seein Viola arguin with Hildy and Steff, pointin in my direction. She's probably arguin about the same thing as I am.

Cuz it ain't fair.

They can't keep us apart-

"We aren't the ones keeping you apart, your Noise is." Bradley says. "The second either one of you starts to worry or fear for the other, you blast each other and the rest of us."

_**And I would prefer not to be thrown around.**_ Ben says.

"Well, yer gonna have to figure somethin out. Cuz I ain't stayin away from her for forever."

But obviously I'd be stayin away from her now. Hildy, Steff, and a female Spackle grab Viola by the wrists and walk her towards the trees. Viola keeps lookin back, eyes directly on me, and fight or flight causes me to run in their direction. Bradley and Ben have to stop me.

_**Todd, she's fine!**_ Ben has to say to me for the millionth time, it seems like.

"Where are they takin her?" I ask. When they don't tell me automatically I yell it thru my Noise.

_**WHERE ARE THEY TAKING HER? **_

Ben jumps at the use of my Noise before he finally says it. _**There are a few Spackle who've taken refuge in this forest. They saw what happened between you and Viola and were more than willing to help you both recover. But they're even more fascinated with your connection to the Land, and each other's Noise, especially since you're both human and not from here. Their knowledge of this land should help figure out what's going on between you two. **_

I blink a few times, thinkin.

"Let me go, too." I say. Viola's had her Noise for a while now, but we still ain't figure out what caused it. There hasn't been much time to, with survivin the snowscape and fightin Eric, but now is as good a time as ever to figure it out, without Eric on our backs.

Bradley shakes his head in agreement.

"You'll get the chance to be seen by the Spackle." Bradley says. "Just not at the same time as Viola."

"Well how else am I supposed to know what's goin on with her?!" I yell.

Bradley makes a face like he's annoyed with my temper. And it shows in his Noise.

"Don't worry, Todd. I'm gonna stay and make sure she's alright. And you could always com her." Bradley says.

I form a tight line with my lips. When you got a connection like Viola and I do, using the com device is a huge disappointment. I can't feel her emotions, can't see the expressions on her face-

But it looks like that's gonna be my only option.

But only for now.

Cuz I'm gonna find my way back to her.

You'd best believe I am.

"Alright. Well when do I see the Spackle then?" I say, kind of irritated.

_**Right now, actually. We'll take you to them. **_Ben says. He starts walkin in the opposite direction of where Viola went, and I get one last urge to run after her, but I don't. Instead I follow my father, reluctantly, and just hope that she's ruddy goin to be okay.

...

_**Do you feel any better?**_ 1017 asks me. I jump up from the cot I'm lyin on, startled by the sound of his voice.

_**My apologies**_. He says_**. I should've known you were trying to get some rest. **_

I sit up as he joins me in the tent.

"Barely. I feel like I haven't slept in ages. And when I am sleepin, it's either against my will, cuz someone tranquilized me, or I'm havin a nightmare." And it's so sadly true that I laugh at the irony of it.

But 1017 takes what I say seriously. There's a look of sadness on his face as he sits in the Spackle chair next to me.

_**I'm sorry to hear you're so restless.**_ He tells me. I shrug.

"Don't be. That's just how it is." I say, rubbin my neck.

_**Maybe you'll be able to sleep better knowing that your companion is okay**_. He says, referrin to Viola.

"Really? What's goin on with her?" I ask.

_**Well, her temperature has gone down dramatically. And her Noise has calmed down. She's not as worried as she was before. Now that she knows you're okay.**_ He tells me.

I feel my own Noise calm down, hearin that she's alright. I throw the blanket off of me and prepare to get out of the bed, but 1017 stops me.

_**Not yet, Todd.**_ He says, steppin forward and blockin me in.

"Why is everyone tellin me not yet? I haven't seen her since she got captured. I need her to know I'm here." I say, feelin tears formin in my eyes.

_**She knows you're here**_. He assures me_**. And you'll be able to see her really soon. But first you need to understand what's going on with the two of you. **_

"Okay, well hurry up and tell me so I can get over there." I say, sittin back down.

1017 pulls out a com to get Ben and Bradley, who both show up a few minutes later with Lee, also. I guess they're all curious about what's goin on with me and Viola's Noise. But not more than I am. I'm itchin for them to tell me I can finally see her.

When everyone is settled in 1017 finally starts explainin.

_**So it's not secret that Viola has acquired Noise.**_ He starts. _**But it is a lot different from ours. She can only communicate with feelings, and Todd is also the only one who can read them. As well as the Land.**_

"Why am I the only one?" I ask him. "And why don't other girls have it?"

_**A few of the female Spackle say that her Noise wouldn't exist without her love for you. It is a connection that only forms between couples, though just saying you're a couple isn't enough. The connection has to be deeper than that. Something The Land recognizes as undying, and completely devoted. Which is what you two have. **_He says.

I try my best to understand what he's sayin, kinda gettin it but mostly not.

"So what does that have to do with me not gettin to see her?" I ask.

_**The explosion that the two of you made came from extreme emotions of fear and worry for the other person.**_ He says.

I shrug. "So what? We're ruddy always worried about each other."

_**Not like this. After being captured and separated, you were more fearful for each other than usual. **_

I shake my head from side to side. "Well, the longer you keep us apart like this the worse it's gonna get." I say. Not to mention we're gonna have to get movin soon, with Eric still out there somewhere...

"What happened to Eric?" I say. I haven't even thought of em since wakin up. Was he missin? Did our Noise kill him?

"Eric and his army got away." Bradley says, reading my Noise. "He ran off, deeper into the forest. Matthew followed after him."

I sigh, frustrated that the explosion didn't get rid of him then and there. And then I think about Matthew, and his plan...

"He's probably gonna kill him." I whisper.

_**Who? **_Ben catches me.

"Matthew. He's gonna kill Eric." I admit.

"All on his own?" Bradley asks, and I nod.

"I was shocked too. Didn't think he had it in him... but it's gonna have to be done. Eric can't be reasoned with like we thought." I think back to the crazy things he said to me, about the crazy ritual he wanted me to perform. That man is far from capable of compromisin with us.

Which means there's only one choice left.

And that is to kill him.

_**We'd better be on our way to him, then.**_ Ben says. _**He can't face Eric and his army alone.**_

_**We can't go until Todd and Viola are safe to be around each other**_. 1017 adds quickly.

"I thought you said we would be soon?" I bring up.

_**No, that's not a bad idea. Give it just a little longer, Todd.**_ Ben says. _**You both need to collect yourselves, get some rest. Then we'll leave.**_ Ben says.

I try to tell him that it ain't gonna work, that being a part for so long is only gonna get us more anxious and worried. But they don't listen to me, and instead leave me in the tent, all the way until it's nighttime. I try to force thoughts of Viola out of my head until I'm almost asleep. But then the comm in my jacket pocket starts ringin. I groan before reachin for it, my eyes still closed. But when I hear her voice greetin me on the other end, they instantly shoot open.

"Viola! Are yer okay?" I ask her, sittin up.

"Yes. Are you okay?" She asks me back.

"Yeah, I'm good. Where are you? What did they say to you?" I ask her, planning on runnin straight to her once she tells me.

"You can't come this way, Todd, I've gotta go to you." She says.

I squint my eyes. "Why can't I? Are you in some sort of danger?"

Viola exhales before respondin. "No, not danger. The female Spackle are just... scared. Scared of what you and I can do now. With our Noise."

"Well, they ain't too excited about it over here either." I tell her, thinkin of Ben and Bradley.

"I bet. Everyone's so freaked out." Viola pauses. "But Todd, they have a reason to be."

"I mean, as long as we keep our emotions under control, we'll be fine." I say, even tho that's probably not likely.

"It's not just that." She says. I start to ask her why until she tells me, "Give me ten minutes and I'll be there to explain."

"No, Viola let me go to you. It's dark and you'll be alone."

"Todd. Are you forgetting who you're talking to?" She says. Now it sounds like she's walkin on the other end of the comm, completely ignorin my protests to not go alone.

"Well, at least stay on the com with me until you get here." I say.

"If I do that they might hear me sneaking away." She says, whisperin now. "Just try to stay calm until I get there."

Viola hangs up against my will, so there ain't nothin left for me to do but wait. I try my hardest not to worry, cuz if I'm worried, she'll worry, and then we might blow up the forest again. But that ain't what happens when Viola finally gets here. I feel her Noise before I see her and go to open the flaps of the tent to let her in.

I almost don't believe she's actually here, standin just inches away from me, after bein separated for so long, after not knowing if we'd ever see each other again. And we both stand that way for a long time, just starin at each other in disbelief, sharin feelings of joy and happiness and love in each other's Noise, until I finally reach for her, wrappin an arm around her waist, pullin her closer to me, and hers go around my neck, and we embrace in a hug so tight it hurts, until-

A light forms between us-

And a powerful force builds-

Viola jumps away.

"We've gotta learn to control that." She says. "Our Noise almost exploded again."

I shake my head, frustrated. "But how? We can't control the way we feel about each other. It just... happens."

Viola takes a deep breath, then moves a little closer into the tent. "I don't know, Todd. But I might have an idea."

"Okay. Tell me." I ask, eager.

She don't say right away, just takes a seat on the bed. I sit beside her, tempted to grab her hand in mine, but don't. It feels strange, not being able to. Strange that the very thing keepin us together is also keepin us apart.

But Viola seems to not notice, and she starts explainin things to me instead. "The Spackle who helped me recover said that our connection is really rare. Only couples have it, when they're really really close. Like we are."

"Yeah, I know. That's all they've been tellin me." I say to her.

"But that's not it." She says, then pauses, swallows, before speakin. "Eric wasn't wrong, Todd. Noise does have the potential to end the SnowScape. Our Noise, together, has the potential to end the SnowScape."

I stare at Viola blankly for so long that she waves a hand in front of my face. "Hello? Todd?"

"What makes you think that Eric is right about anything?" I ask her.

"I didn't say that he's completely right. We don't need to walk into fire or say some prayer or kill the Spackle in order to end it. But our Noise, Todd? Our Noise literally created light. Imagine what else it could do!" Viola says, a smile spreadin across her face, her Noise rattlin all over.

"Who told you this?" I ask her. She shrugs.

"No one told me. I figured it out myself. Matter of fact, when I brought it up to the female Spackle, they said I was wrong." She says. I blink a few times, givin her a confused look.

"So yer probably not right then." I tell her. And boy does she ever give me a look.

"No, Todd, I'm not. The way the Spackle told me I was wrong.. it was suspicious. Like she was covering up the truth." Viola says.

"Why wouldn't she want us to know the truth?" I ask.

Viola stands now, starts pacin like she does when she's really onto somethin.

"Think about it, Todd. You and I have a very strong connection. To each other, and to The Land. When we're together, we have the potential to create explosions. Create actual light. Maybe even stop the entire SnowScape. And if we can stop an entire snowstorm - what else do you think we're capable of? Together?" She's got a real excited look on her face, and I'm really not understandin why.

"I don't know." I say.

She sighs, then explains it to me. "Anything, Todd. We'd be capable of doing anything. We could control this entire planet if we wanted to. If we both believed in it as strongly as we feel for each other, then it could happen."

And then it starts to click-

Not just the fact that we ruddy could control anything-

But the fear from all our friends-

The fear from all the Spackle-

To hand over all that power to Viola and I-

"That's why they're keepin us apart." I whisper, but am really askin myself if it's true. Would Ben and Bradley and Lee and Hildy really keep us apart... cuz they don't want us to be too powerful? Cuz they don't trust us to use it for good?

"I don't think they would." Viola says, readin me. "They just think we're a danger to each other. But the Spackle definitely don't trust us. After seeing what Eric can do, they don't want humans with that kind of power in our Noise. That's why I said you couldn't come over earlier."

Viola sits down next to me, but she don't say nothin else, allowin me to think the situation over for a minute. If our Noise is the last chance we've got to save this planet, to end the SnowScape and Eric's horrible plan, then we've gotta do it. But how do we know it's safe, that we wouldn't just blow up the entire planet or hurt ourselves, like we did last time?

"That's what we'd be risking." She says quietly. "But I don't think it would hurt us, Todd. I can just feel that it won't."

And I look at her, and read her Noise, and can't help but to see the truth in what she's sayin.

And of course it wud end up this way-

Me and Viola-

Together since the start of it all-

Being the ones to save it all.

"Okay." I finally say to her, now takin the risk of grabbin her hand. Light shines through the space between our fingers, but no explosion happens. Our Noises are full but controlled. Determined but calm. It's like we've already learned to keep it under control.

But best believe we'll use it if we have to.

Viola smiles before I ask her, "so what's yer plan? What do we do?"

"I don't know if you're gonna like it." She says. "But I think you and I need to go after Eric alone. Get rid of him, save Matthew, and use our Noise to end the SnowScape, if we can. If we take the whole group with us we could be risking their safety. And I don't want to put them in harms way if it doesn't work out-"

"Alright." I say, interruptin her. Viola looks surprised at how suddenly I agree to her plan, and even I'm a little bit shocked. But the feelin that's comin from our Noise is tellin me that this is right. For the first time since this whole mission started, I can actually believe that this plan is right. Viola and I were meant to do this. Cuz what they're forgettin is that we ran across this planet together, killed Aaron, killed the mayor, built up a whole new community, survived bein tortured, tranquilized, and caputred. And now we've got actual powers? It don't get no more right than that. Me and Viola together, with our Noise?

He won't stand a chance.

"Okay." Viola says, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips, the power of our Noise swirlin in between our hands. "We'll leave tonight."


	33. Chapter 33

{Viola}

Todd and I drag our tired, worn out bodies through the snow covered forest, following in Eric's footsteps until dawn breaks. The rest of our groups is a great distance behind us now, and there's no telling how much further we have to go until we find Eric and Matthew. If it wasn't for the strength that our Noise is giving us, we definitely wouldn't have made it this far. That, and the game we're playing to distract us how much our bodies are begging us to stop.

Not to mention the fear of facing Eric once again.

But we're trying not to think about it until we get there.

"So how does the game go again?" Todd asks me, even after I've explained the rules to him. We're walking side by side, shoulders occasionally bumping into each other as we trudge through the snow.

"It's called two truths and a tale. You tell me two things about you that are real and one that isn't. Then I have to guess which one is a lie." I explain. Todd furrows his eyebrows.

"I don't get the point of it." He says plainly, in true Todd fashion.

"It's just a guessing game. To pass the time." I tell him. We've walked in nervous silence for long enough now - and I didn't want to spend these moments fussing over the possible outcome of our plan. There was no point in being anxious or worried about facing Eric - we've come too far to turn away now, and there was also nothing left to discuss. Our plan is simple - use our Noise to stop Eric. And the snowscape, if possible.

At this point-

We just have to do it-

God, I hope we can do it-

Todd interrupts my thoughts by finally speaking. "You go first. So I can see how it's done."

I stifle a laugh but nod anyways.

"Okay. My middle name is June. I'm allergic to hazelnuts. And I'm scared of the dark." I say, giving him a mischievous smile. Todd thinks for a moment before finally responding.

"All of those are lies." He says, a matter of fact. My mouth gapes open before I playfully shove his shoulder.

"No they're not, Todd! Only one is." But he shakes his head no.

"There's no way. You only got two names. Viola Eade. And I've seen you eat hazelnuts before, I think. And yer not scared of the dark. That wud be impossible, considerin all we been thru." He says.

I give him a small smile. "Well, you're right about the last one. That was my lie." I tell him. "But the other two are true. My middle name is my mom's first name. And if you've ever seen me eating hazelnuts, I had to of been desperately hungry, because I'm severely allergic."

Todd looks at me as if I've transformed into an entirely different person.

"That's strange." He says. I narrow my eyes at him.

"I can't help what I'm allergic to, Todd."

He shakes his head. "No, not that. Yer middle name. I can't see you as a June."

I shrug my shoulders. "I mean, June is my mom's first name. Eade is my dad's last name. I guess it was there way of showing that I'm a part of them both."

Todd nods his head slowly, starting to gain understanding.

"So, if we get married, yer gonna have four names? Viola June Eade Hewitt?"

Now I let out a real laugh, but only confusion comes from Todd's Noise.

"Usually girls change their last name. So it would be Viola June Hewitt. Or, just Viola Hewitt. That's less complicated." I say.

Todd shakes his head no. "I like yer name as it is. Just Viola Eade."

"Well, if we get married, I would change it to Hewitt." I say. It's not anything I'd thought about in too much detail, considering there's barely enough time to save ourselves as well as this planet, but somehow I already know it's what I want to do. Todd is my everything, and it would be my way of showing it-

If we ever get the chance-

If we ever escape this chaos-

"You can't." Todd continues to protest. "You've always been Viola Eade."

"But that's what you do when you get married. Just like my parents gave me their names, I want to have yours. To prove we're together." I tell him.

Todd gently takes my hand in his before raising them up, showing me the light that shines through our fingers.

"Viola. We're as close as we're ever gonna get." He says. "Changin a last name can't compare to this."

Todd lowers our hands but his eyes never leave mine. I can read everything coming from his Noise, love and happiness and hope, and I can't help but to show the same things back.

"I guess you're right." I tell him, blushing.

But sarcasm soon fills his Noise, followed by a mischievous look as his lips curl into a smile.

"I don't know why yer talkin about gettin married anyways. I haven't even asked you yet." He says, nudging me with his shoulder.

"Yeah, but I know you're going to." I tell him, a matter of fact.

Todd shakes his head no, but he's still smiling. "You don't know that."

My mouth gapes open in shock, and I let go of Todd's hand to forcefully shove him to the ground. The power from my Noise helps me do this, so instead of him falling at my side he actually goes sliding through the snow, stopping a few feet away from me. My eyes widen in surprise and I bring my hands to my mouth, covering the gasp that escapes my lips. But once I see Todd getting up, dusting snow off his clothes, I let out a laugh.

"That's what you get!" I yell to him between laughs.

Todd shakes his head at me before reaching down, grabbing a handful of snow.

"Yer gonna regret that!" He yells back, standing up with the snow in his hands. I can read what he's about to do before he even does it, but he's already arching his arm backward, using the power from his Noise to hurl the snowball my way.

I attempt to run but Todd is too quick, and the snowball hits the side of my leg. The force of it causes me to going flying backwards before falling into the snow. I hear Todd laughing from a distance.

"So that's how he wants to play." I whisper to myself, conveying vengeful emotions to him through my Noise. Todd notices this, then speaks to me through his own.

_**Bring it on, Viola Eade.**_

I collect my own handful of snow before standing up, then quickly get back onto my feet. Todd already has two snowballs in each hand, prepared to throw them at me, and I dare him to do it through my Noise.

_**Ladies first.**_ He says.

I waste no time bantering with Todd and throw my snowball, watching it surge through the air towards him. He moves out of the way in just enough time, and I curse under my breath for missing. Even from afar, I can see Todd smiling playfully.

_**You can do better than that, Viola! **_

He follows this statement by throwing both snowballs, but this time he's short, and they plummet into the snow a few feet in front of me. Snow flies into the air as they crash into the ground, and I use that time to run around the tiny explosion, sprinting straight towards Todd. He doesn't expect this surprise attack and runs away once he spots me, but determination to get back at him fills my Noise and boosts my speed. Soon I've nearly caught up to him, jumping the last few feet between us to then tackle him to the ground.

We're both out of breath and laughing.

"Okay, okay." Todd says. "You win."

I roll off his back and into the snow beside him, satisfied with the win.

"That was fun." I say. "I could really get used to this having powers thing. Especially when you're being particularly irritating."

Todd doesn't respond with more than a small laugh, but he does show how happy he is through his Noise. Moments like these, easy and fun and carefree, are few and far between, especially when we are in the middle of a war. But we are both grateful to have them, whenever and however we can, because there's no telling when they'll come to an end. I look over at Todd, witnessing his side profile, looking up into the sky, and suddenly I want to protect him with everything I have, wanting so badly to make it to the other side of this war, to keep having moments like these for the rest of our lives-

Until my thoughts are interrupted by a strange feeling-

A warning from the Land-

That's telling me-

To take cover.

I sit up quickly in the snow.

"Did you hear that?" I ask Todd. He sits up, too.

"No. What is it?"

"I don't know." I say. "It was a really strange feeling. Kind of like the one I got before the Snowscape started.."

Just as I say this, the winds begin to pick up, rustling the naked tree branches and stirring the snow on the ground. Alarm raises in both our Noise, prompting us to stand.

"I think the Land is trying to warn us about the storm." I say.

"It's gettin worse." Todd says. He instinctively grabs my hand, pulling me closer to his side. "We need to go, Viola!"

I nod and we both take off running through the forest, desperately searching for a place to hide until the storm passes. There isn't a cave in sight, and I begin to feel worried as the winds get harsher and snow begins to fall.

"This isn't safe, Todd!" I shout.

"We'll find somewhere to go!" He tells me, but his Noise isn't so sure. He stops, looking around for someplace suitable, until his eyes land on the hill that raises up above the trees. He shouts something to me while pointing to it, but I can't hear what he's saying over the wind.

"What?!" I yell.

_**There's a cave up there! Remember?**_ He says through his Noise.

And I do. A really long time ago, we hid from Aaron in that cave, fought him even, until there was no other choice, until I had to kill him. It's discomforting, thinking about having to go there again, but it seems as if it's our only choice in order to be safe. I don't even respond to Todd, instead running straight for the hill, Todd right beside me.

"You think we'll be able to get up there?" I say once we're at the base of the hill.

_**I don't know! You go before me so I can see you.**_ He says.

I nod, starting up the hill, and even though the trek is slow and wobbly, we're getting up there pretty well. But the steeper the hill gets the harder it is to climb, especially with the slippery snow underneath us. A sudden gust of wind suddenly pushes me off balance, causing me to fall backwards. I slam into Todd's chest and we both go tumbling backwards until we're back at the base of the hill.

_**Are yer okay?!**_ He asks me.

"I'm fine! But we're not going to make it up!" I shout, fear beginning to rise in my Noise. If Eric isn't going to kill us, the Snowscape certainly will, unless we take cover soon. Todd's Noise searches for an idea, something, anything, to help us get up the hill, until his eyes land on a tree that is rapidly rustling in the wind.

_**I have an idea!**_ He says, running over to the tree. I follow, confused, until I see Todd reach his arm up towards the branches, creating light from his Noise into his hand.

A surge of light flies from his palm and strikes the tree branch, sending it down into the snow with a loud thump. He does this several more times until four branches are on the ground. He runs over to them, and waves me over to join.

_**Take two of them!**_ He tells me. _**We'll use them to get up the hill!**_

I nod, understanding his plan, and pick up two of the branches. As we run back to the hill, I try to let Todd know that I appreciate his idea, but he isn't interested in any compliments right now. My name is on repeat in his Noise, filled with both willingness and determination to get us up that hill.

Soon, mine is filled with the same.

We hike up the hill again, this time with the branches as an aid. The effort isn't simple but it's much easier than our first attempt, and we're almost close enough to see the entrance of the cave. I smile to myself, happy that Todd and I are just a few steps away from safety, and once the hill levels out the cave is in plain sight. We run the rest of the way until we are safely inside.

"Thank goodness." I say, out of breath and shivering from the cold. "Todd, we made it."

Todd only nods his head, throwing the sticks onto the ground and collapsing right beside them. I rush over to him, crouching at his side.

"Todd? Are you alright?" I ask, placing one hand on his cheek, the other on his chest.

"I'm fine." He says, chest rising and falling underneath my hand. "Just tired. And cold."

My Noise settles down once I realize he's alright, then my eyes divert to the branches on the ground.

"Here, I'll see if I can make a fire." I say. Todd starts to sit up.

"I'll help." He says. But I shake my head no.

"You've done enough." I tell him. "And I don't need help, anyways. It'll be easy to do with my Noise."

Todd eventually agrees, sitting back on the cave wall while I take the branches, break them apart, then assemble them into a nice pile. After this step I take a tiny piece off, rubbing it on the pile while light beams from my palms until a nice fire is blazing before us.

"See? That was easy." I say, palms facing the fire. Todd smiles.

"We make a pretty good team." He says. "We should've been doin this together the whole time. Just you and me."

I crawl around the fire and join Todd, slumping against the wall before resting my head on his shoulder. My eyelids get heavy before responding.

"We couldn't have made it here without everyone else." I say, sleepily. "But I agree with you. We do make a pretty good team."

He looks down at me now, brushing away a stray piece of hair that's fallen into my eyes. "I don't know what I'd ruddy do without you, Viola Eade."

"I don't either, Todd. But good thing we don't have to find out."

My eyes are closed now, but I see him smile through my Noise.

"Yer know, I really was gonna ask you to marry me. If we make it outta this." He admits.

"You mean when we make it outta this." I say. He nods.

"Yeah." A pause sits between us before he continues. "It's just one thing that bothers me about it."

I sit up now, curiosity filling my Noise. "What is it?"

Sadness occupies his Noise before he even gets the words out. "We ain't gonna have no family there. Not our real family, at least."

I'm stilled with shock, expecting Todd to of said anything else but that. The reminder that neither of us have our parents causes something to tug at my heart, both joy and pain. I imagine my parents meeting Todd, knowing that they would've instantly loved him, knowing that they would've appreciated him for how dedicated and caring he is towards the people he loves. It's a beautiful idea, one that makes my heart so happy, but that's all it is, an idea, and it pains me that they'll never get to know the wonderful and caring person who has my heart. It's also heartbreaking that I'll never know the other half of who Todd is, his mother, the words that occupied her journal the closest I'll ever be to her. Todd is able to read all of these emotions in my Noise, feeling the same way I do, and an overwhelming sadness pulses between us both.

"Todd." I whisper, taking his hand in mine.

"Hmm?" He says, squeezing my hand but not looking up. I can tell that he's crying through his Noise.

"I think... I think that our parents would be really happy that we found each other."

He sniffles in response, still looking away from me. His sadness compels me to continue speaking.

"And... in a way... it's kind of like... they brought us together." I say, now whimpering myself. His Noise questions what I mean, and I don't hesitate to explain.

"All those years ago, your mother prompted you to leave Prentisstown, because she knew there was something greater meant for you. And at that same time, my parents forced me to come to this New World, to also fulfill a better purpose. And, by them doing that, by then urging us on, we found each other. That would've never happened... without them."

I don't realize that I'm crying until Todd looks up, seeing my tears reflected in his eyes. He takes his hand and cups my cheek, brushing away tears with his thumb.

"You ruddy always have the right thing to say." He says, smiling, and I laugh.

"I mean it, Todd." I tell him. "They may not be able to see it, but they know that we're alright. And they know that we're doing the right things for this world. And they know that we're doing them together."

Love and warmth fills his Noise before pulling me into a hug. We sit like that for a moment, the power of our Noise building, light forming between us, until Todd pulls away and speaks gently.

"Well, hopefully after we find Eric, this world will be a better place. A place they'd be proud of."

I nod before responding faithfully, "I know it will be."

And it's the first time in a long while that Todd and I fall asleep without worrying, fall asleep without the fear of tomorrow's fate joining us in our slumber. I even get confirmation from the Land through my Noise that this is true, that things are going to be okay, and I smile to myself as I lay on Todd's shoulder, exhaustion willing me into a peaceful sleep, listening to the winds outside of the cave, watching them toss the flames of our fire through barely open eyelids. It's such a peaceful, hopeful moment that I almost have to ask myself if it's all actually over, but no. After a while mine and Todd's Noise begins to rattle, begins to tell us that even though

we're on the right path-

Danger is still ahead-

That we are still on the other side of the war-

That there are still things we must sacrifice-

And it's time to face them now.

I question if it's a dream at first, but no, our Noise is telling us that something, that someone, is coming. Todd jumps awake before I do, causing me to slip off his shoulder. I use my elbow to break my fall, looking up at Todd as panic swirls around his Noise.

_**Who is that?!**_ Todd says, putting up a hand that's beginning to beam with light in his defense. I quickly get up and join at his side, but he only pushes me back behind him.

_**Stay behind me until we see who it is first!**_ Todd says, but I shrug out his grasp and re-join him at his side.

"Todd, we're doing this together, remember? The only way we're going to fight them off is if our Noise works in unison!" And so, I put up my own hand, a dim light forming there to match Todd's, and he has no other choice but to comply. We turn our heads to witness the visitor who's joining us-

Fear and panic building in their Noise-

Both of our names on repeat in their mind-

And then his shadowed figure steps into the cave-

And the light from our fire finally shows who it is-

Matthew Lyle.

"I found you guys!" He exclaims, followed by a maddening laugh that echoes throughout the cave, causing Todd and I to jump. The closer he gets to us the more the fire light reveals his figure, and it obvious that he was caught by the storm, flecks of snow stuck in his hair, on his eyelashes, and the tips of his ears and fingertips. He's also got a crazed look on his face, a smile that's seemingly frozen in place, and is walking with stiff legs. Now I do follow Todd's command, slightly stepping behind him as Matthew gets closer. I wonder to myself if this is what it looks like for someone to lose their mind.

And if he had, I couldn't blame him.

Matthew reads the fear that builds in our Noise and pauses. "What's wrong guys? It's me! Matthew!"

Todd's hand is still up while the other is stretched out to guard me. He backs up a couple more feet before addressing him.

"What... what happened to yer?" Todd asks.

Matthew attempts to raise an eyebrow, but they're nearly frozen to his face. "What do... what do you mean? I just got caught in the snowstorm. I'm... I'm just cold. And... tired. I was in a safe place...but I had to risk the journey... to find you two... because he's... my father is..."

But before he's able to get the words out, Matthew completely collapses onto the ground.

We rush over, Todd crouching down to flip him onto his back while I search my Noise, wondering if he's alright. After a moment it's apparent that Matthew is just out of it, his mind and body having taken a toll from traveling during the snowscape.

"Let's get him by the fire." Todd says to me. I nod before we each take one of his arms, pulling him towards the wall, leaving him in front of the fire to thaw out. We sit on the other side with our knees tucked to our chests, watching him, mumbling to one another, until he finally wakes up.

"I'm sorry I scared you guys." He says quietly.

"It's okay." I tell him. "But what happened? Why were you out there during the storm?"

Matthew puts his palms onto the floor and tries to push himself into a seated position, but he's too weak and abandons the attempt. Instead he remains slumped against the wall, and looks at us through cracked eyelids before speaking, "I had a safe hiding spot in a cave, just outside the forest, until I heard him."

"Heard who? Eric?" Todd asks.

"Yes. But not just my father. He… he had an army with him. Hundreds of men." Eric says.

I don't know if it is out of fear or anticipation of a fight, but I jump to my feet before my brain commands me to do it, light from my Noise pulsing into my hand. A powerful force also begins to build as Todd is feeling the same way. We both have to will it to calm down. To save itself for the oncoming attack.

Matthew looks between the two of us, then his eyes stop on our glowing hands. " You nearly scared him to death when you caused that explosion a few days ago. That's why he formed an army. He's realized that he can't beat you two without one. Not while you can do that."

"Well, that's the point." Todd states, getting to his feet, an angered look on his face as if he's going into battle right this second. "How far away is he?"

Matthew shrugs, "I don't know. I think they stopped once the storm really started to pick up. I didn't risk looking back. I just knew I needed to get to you guys."

Todd and I both nod, then look to each other. We don't say anything, just read the emotions coming from each other's Noise, but even if we didn't have it, the message would still be loud and clear-

This is it.

And moments later.

We hear him coming.

"TODD HEWITT! VIOLA EADE!" We hear Eric scream from below.

And our Noise rattles in anticipation-

And light beams in our hands-

And a force builds between us-

And we've never felt so ready in our lives-

Before the battle begins.

Todd starts running to the opening of the cave, but I linger behind as I see Matthew begin to stand up.

"You're not coming with us! You're weak and it's too dangerous right now." I tell him.

"No, I can help you guys-"

"It's not safe!"

He forms a tight line with his lips before sitting back down. "Okay, Okay. I'll stay." He says.

"We'll come back for you. Take cover if you have to!"

He nods in understanding. "I will."

I start to run off after Todd but Matthew stops me,

"Viola, wait!"

I do.

"I just… thank you. For everything. I don't deserve-"

But I raise a hand to stop him.

"Not now. After we've won." I tell him. The feeling of reconciliation is mutual, especially after how much he and I have fought over the last couple of months. I'm sure after all of this is over, we'll be able to make up for it. Maybe even become friends.

But that can't happen-

Until it's over.

Matthew seems to understand what I'm saying and wishes me luck before I follow after Todd, onto the hill, to meet our fate.

To finish this once and for all.

I join Todd at the edge of the hill, the force between us stronger and pulsing with anticipation now that we're side by side. The storm has obviously calmed, the sky a beautiful blue, devoid of clouds, sunlight beaming down, causing the snow on the ground to shimmer. One would never assume that a war was about to begin here, in such a beautiful moment.

But the hundreds of men lined up at the base of the hill, some loaded with ammunition, and Eric leading their charge, makes it blatantly obvious.

"Well look who it is! Our savior! Or saviors, I should say!" Eric yells upon spotting us.

_**You don't know what you just got yerself into!**_ Todd shouts through his Noise.

"Oh, but I do!" Eric says. "Did you really think I wouldn't come back after seeing that not one, but the BOTH of you have the power to stop this treacherous storm? To kill off the Spackle? You two can do anything with that power, and I'll stop at nothing to have it!"

I shake my head before throwing my own comment into the mix, "Did you hear what you just said? We can do ANYTHING with it. Defeating you isn't excluded from that!"

Even from so far down, I can see the creepy smile tugging at his lips.

"Oh, we will see about that, Miss Viola." He pauses. A chilling silence falls over us. Then he points straight up, directing his army towards us. "AFTER THEM!"

His army starts to run up the hill, but they don't have a chance once Todd and I point our hands towards them, the force from our Noise shooting out and sending them into the air. We do this several more times, hitting his men from different angles, falling into a rhythm as they go flying backwards, and in this moment, the war is entirely in our hands. His men start to change their tactics, coming at us from the sides of the hill, even shooting bullets in our direction. Todd seems to notice a group of them heading my way and sends an extremely powerful surge of light that blows them far off into the distant trees.

"Thanks!" I shout to him over the commotion. I steal a quick glance at Todd and see him nod, sweat dripping down his forehead, the tiniest smile renting his face. Focusing my attention back to the battle below I realize why he's grinning - because we're winning, because Eric's men are no match against our Noise, just as we predicted. Nervous excitement dances around in my Noise, ready for it to be over, ready to finally win this all, ready to see what the world looks like on the opposing side of chaos-

Until everything changes.

Eric begins to wave his hands in the air, seemingly telling his men to surrender. At Eric's command, everyone stops fighting, but Todd and I keep our hands up.

"Alright!" He yells to us. "We see that you're clearly more powerful than us!"

Todd and I stand frozen, breathing heavily, blood pumping in our ears, as we listen to Eric state words we never thought he'd admit.

"Do you think he's gonna surrender?" Todd whispers to me. I shrug my shoulders, noticing Todd wonder about the possibility of peace, the tiniest bit of hope that he won't have to kill Eric popping into his Noise.

But I don't allow myself to believe it.

Not after what Eric is beginning to do.

The remainder of his army has dropped their weapon, but use another that is more powerful, and more dangerous, than any bullet could be. With their Noise they repeat the same phrase in unison, which has no affect on me, but has every affect on Todd, sending him into a terrified panic. He instantly drops to his knees, squinting his eyes shut, pressing into his ears, screams escaping from his lips, and I'm shouting no, trying to use my Noise to stop them, but I can't, not without the power of Todd's Noise beside me, which is beginning to get silent, beginning to disappear, as he listens to the one thing that makes him weak, the one thing he's struggled to fully overcome-

**I AM THE CIRCLE AND THE CIRLCE IS ME. **


	34. Chapter 34

**Author's Note: Whoa, it has been a WHILE. I'm sorry it's taken so long to post this chapter – I had a major case of writer's block and read like, seven books to make up for it. But I think I've got my groove back and some cool ideas floating around, so I'll be posting some more this week! Going on a super long road trip tomorrow, so I'll have ALL the time to write. Hope ya enjoy!**

[Todd]

I am-

_**NO! **_

The circle-

_**QUIT! **_

And-

_**GET OUTTA MY HEAD! **_

The circle-

_**STOP! **_

Is me-

_**SHUT-UP!**_

Eric's army keeps repeatin that saying no matter how much I beg them to stop. Even with my hands coverin my ears, head bent over in the snow, the words still force themselves into my mind. Now my Noise is gettin silent, my urge to surrender gettin stronger by the second, pullin me in no matter how much I resist. Despite my connection to the Land, that sayin always makes me weak, always makes me want to give in-

Cuz even tho the feelin of abundant Noise is beautiful and strong and all the things good about this world-

It can also be the bad. All the hurt and the evil and the wrongness and the brokenness, all at yer disposal. Pulsin thru yer mind. Paradin thru yer thoughts-

And all that chaos cud be gone if I just listen-

All that chaos cud be gone if I just let go-

But there's only one thing that keeps me from goin all the way-

"TODD!" Viola's voice sounds muffled, like I'm hearin her underwater, but it's enough to grab my attention. She's got a death grip on my shoulders and she's shakin me. Panic fills her eyes. Fear overflows in her Noise.

"LOOK AT ME, TODD!" She demands. I do.

"Don't let him get to your head! They're not stronger than you!"

I try to believe her, but his army is shoutin louder now, my Noise battlin, but losin, to fight it off. I shake my head at Viola, tears comin from my eyes-

"I can't, Viola! It's too strong." I'm tellin her, shakin and cryin at the same time, hatin how weak I sound. My body starts to go limp in her arms. She pushes me back up by the shoulders.

"TODD! LISTEN TO ME!" She pleads, her eyes searchin mine, like she's tryin to keep me from gettin too lost.

But it's too late-

Cuz I already am-

And there is one last flicker of Noise-

Before everything-

Starts to go silent-

"GIVE IT UP, MS. EADE!" Eric shouts. Viola jumps up, leaving me crouched in the snow on my knees, and faces Eric over the edge of the hill.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" She shouts. I raise my head and reach out to her, tryin to tell her to get back, but I can't, not while that sayin is still pulsin thru the air-

"I'm afraid it doesn't work that way, Viola!" He yells. "You asked for war and YOU GOT ONE! But obviously not a war you can win - your Noise is pointless without Todd's!"

And it's true, cuz not only is my Noise dyin now, but Viola's is too. She starts to panic, lookin from me, to the army, then back to me. She pauses for one second before runnin at full speed, crouchin down, and snatchin the gun from my jacket pocket.

"Wut are yer doin?!" I yell, takin one hand off my ear and grabbin onto her wrist.

"Someone has to end this, Todd!" She shouts, yankin her arm away from me.

"So yer gonna kill him?!" I shout. It ain't like I didn't expect to have to do it, but Viola's already killed once before. She shouldn't have to go and do it again-

"WHAT OTHER CHOICE DO WE HAVE!" Viola yells at me, desperate for me to understand. But as soon as I get ready to protest, Eric's army hits me with more Noise, causin a terrible scream to rise from my throat and into the air-

But that aint all he sends our way-

Bullets begin to hit the snow.

"VIOLA GET DOWN!" I shout, grabbin onto her waist and pullin her down in the snow with me. I try to cover her as they fire shots at us, while also blockin out their Noise, but I can barely do both at the same time. The smallest part of my mind that can actually think for itself starts to regret this whole thing, bringin Viola here, thinkin these powers were a match against Eric and his army. We stay crouched there, huddled with each other, and I'm gettin ready to apologize to Viola, apologize for this fight we're about to lose, all cuz I can't get a hold of my Noise, all cuz I'm still too weak, still not strong enough of a man-

"VIOLA! TODD!"

Viola and I risk a glance to look up at the opening of the cave, where Matthew is limpin out. He's got his own gun in his hand, but an even scarier look on his face.

"GO BACK INSIDE! ITS NOT SAFE!" Viola commands over the sound of bullets. Matthew ducks and crawls over to us frantically, ignorin her completely.

"You two need help! If I don't step in then Todd will be done for-"

"No he won't!" Viola says, helpless hope still in her voice. "We can still do this!"

But I don't know if I can, not while that saying is shrinking my Noise-

"Let him, Viola." I say, still pressin my ears with my hands, even tho it's pointless. Those words are still forcin their way into my mind, my Noise not even a flicker anymore. I'm silent, useless, the reason we're losin this war right now. I look up at Viola, my Viola, willing to do whatever it takes to get her on the other side of this war.

Even if it means putting my trust in Matthew.

"Kill him if you have to!" I shout to Matthew, not carin if Eric lives or dies at this point.

Matthew don't answer me, but he's got a look in his eyes that means he understands. But not Viola.

She's got both hands on my shoulders, a pleading look in her eyes for me to get up. But as much as I want to give her what she wants, as much as I want to end this fight at her side, I know I can't.

She's gotta do it for the both of us.

"You gotta go without me." I tell her quietly.

"No, Todd, you're stronger than them-"

"I'm not, Viola-"

"If you just-"

"Viola." I interrupt her.

She looks at me now, pain and hurt and fear in her eyes.

"I can't do it without you." she says in a tearful whisper, lowering her head.

"Look at me, Viola." I ask her now. She does.

"Yer our only shot." I say to her, then glance over at Mattew. "Both of you."

Viola tries to say something else, but I flinch as the saying gets louder and louder. From the corners of my eyes I can see some of Eric's army runnin up the hill, chargin at us with determined faces and guns ready.

"I'm not leaving you here, Todd!" She shouts.

"I'll be alright!" I tell her, now taking the gun from my pocket and shoving it in her hand. Now she acts like she don't want it, that she'd rather lay here in the snow with me. But I won't let her give up. Not when we're this close-

"Viola, listen." I say fervently. "We don't have time and this is our last chance to end this. If you just leave me for now it'll be over for good-"

"Todd I can't, not never-"

"YOU CAN." I nearly shout, using the very last ounce of Noise I have left to show Viola how wonderful and strong and capable she is of ending this war.

And even without my Noise Viola can read me, can understand what I'm trying to say with just one look. It's like everything we've been thru passes over her face, a new wave of determination replacin her momentary fear.

"Okay. We'll go." She says, lookin up at Matthew. "You sure you'll be able to kill him? Because this is it, Matthew. It's the end. And I'm not risking Todd's life if it's not something you can handle-"

"I can do it." Matthew rushes to say.

"Then go, now." I say, still pressin my ears against those words.

Viola stands quickly and grabs Matthew by the shoulders, forcin him to stand up. "You take that side of the hill while I take this one! Todd, stay low or run if you have to, if we can't block you. You're the one they're going to want before either one of us!"

I don't get a chance to say anything else to Viola, as she and Matthew run off to fight the oncoming attack. I manage to move away from the chaos, watchin as they shoot, sendin the men down into the snow, but just barely-

"We need another tactic! He's just sending more!" I hear Matthew shout to Viola.

"Keep going anyways!" she responds.

I watch her thru blurred vision, my heart achin to fight beside her, tho knowin it's for the best that I'm not. I'm fightin my own battle right now, squintin my eyes, clenchin my teeth, tryin my best to keep that sayin from takin over my mind, from makin me silent, but it ain't workin. But ironically, it hurts my heart more than my head, hurts that I got us in this mess, that I'm the reason everyone has to fight because of me.

"IT'S NOT WORKING!" Matthew shouts. From the corner of my eye I see him lower his gun, and for a second I think he's about to quit.

But he doesn't. Instead he marches up to the very edge of the hill, looking down at his father and the army that's still shooting. He walks thru the bullets like he ain't scared, like they can't hurt him.

"What are you doing-" Viola starts to shout, but she goes still with silence, lowering her own gun, stepping back a few feet, once she realizes what Matthew has finally chosen to do.

To make a sacrifice-

To end this war-

Willing to lose-

In order for us to win-

His eyes are fixed on Eric. The gun pointed straight at his head.

He's finally going to kill his father.

"STOP SHOOTING!" Eric shouts to his army, coming around from the cover of his personal guards.

"End this now or I will SHOOT YOU DEAD." Matthew threatens, his hands shakin, face even more crazed than before.

"Son! We've been looking everywhere for you!" Eric exclaims, his arms outstretched, like he wants to give Matthew a hug. "Good thing you've turned up in the middle of this fight, it's still not too late to join the correct side-"

"ENOUGH." Matthew yells. "BEFORE I PUT A BULLET THROUGH YOUR HEAD."

Eric chuckles, but without the humor, and more like he's baffled at his son's proclamation.

"You will not do such a thing. Certainly not for those two, as opposed to your own family."

"What? You don't believe I'll do it? Cause I almost did last time!" Matthew shouts, his eyes widening, adrenaline pumping through his veins. "I'm TIRED of suffering because of your actions. It tore our family a part once – which is exactly why our mother is gone. Why my wife is gone. At this point, YOU MAY AS WELL BE GONE TOO."

Matthew is in such a rage that I think he's about to shoot his father right in that moment.

"Surely there is still one more member of the family you'd reconsider this decision for." Eric says. "Bring Laura out so she can speak to her brother!"

Laura is shoved from the crowd of Eric's personal guards, her arms tied up, a scarf wrapped around her mouth. She falls to her knees in the snow, looking up at her brother in desperation. Even Viola, who hates Laura, gasps in shock as she witnesses Laura's thin appearance, the cuts and bruises all over her face, neck, and collarbone. It can't be that Eric tortured his own daughter, just as an incentive for Matthew to join his side-

But if he did, it seems to work on Matthew.

And with his eyes wide, Noise troubled, completely filled with concern for his sister, he forgets the entire plan to end this war, disregards what has to be done in order to win-

And drops his gun into the snow.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER!" Matthew shouts, starting to run down the hill, but Viola grabs a hold of him, forcing him to stay back.

"Not yet Matthew! It could be a trap!" Viola yells, tryin to bring him back to reality.

"How, Viola? Those wounds on my sister are REAL!" Matthew counters.

"Indeed they are! And she will continue enduring this pain unless you bring us what we want!" Eric responds.

Even with the army hittin me with their Noise, face almost completely buried in the snow, I can still read the question that briefly crosses Matthew's mind. He turns to me, warring with his own thoughts, tryin to make a decision I should have saw comin-

He's thinkin about surrenderin-

And he's gonna do it by betrayin us.

It only takes Viola a second to realize this before lifting her gun to his head.

"Don't even think about it." Viola tells him. "Or you'll be dead before you can even lay a hand on him."

"Viola." Matthew pleads. "You're asking me to sacrifice my own sister-"

"I don't care!" she shouts, sounding harsh and heartless, but also desperate. "You aren't going to hurt Todd!"

"ANY DAY NOW!" Eric yells. "Before I send my army on you and capture YOU ALL."

"Think about it, Matthew." Viola says, quick and desperately. He's just going to keep using you and your sister to parade around New World, spreading his message of hate. If you give him what he wants, we're going to end up exactly where we started-"

"And who is _we_, Viola?" Matthew challenges, steppin closer to her than I'd like. For a moment, I feel my Noise spark back up, reactin to her bein' threatened.

"You, me, Todd- everyone!" She says, outstretching her arms as if what she means is obvious. But Matthew only folds his lips into his mouth, shakin his head in disbelief.

"No. There is no _we, _no _us_, Viola. Only you and Todd." He says, stabbing is finger in the air towards her, then me. "When all of this is over, who will I have to call my friends? My family?"

"Matthew, you'll still have us-"

"Oh!" he shouts with the hint of a laugh. "So what? You're going to induct me into your little council? Tell me to be friends with the old healer or the blind kid while you and Todd run off with each other, playing heroes and lovers and shooting things with your little Noise?"

Viola blinks a few times, his comment takin her aback, but she still tries to keep him on our side. "Matthew, we'll find a place for you once this is over. A place that feels like home. But giving Eric what he wants isn't the answer-"

"YES IT IS. MY SISTER IS DOWN THERE."

And just like that, Matthew makes his choice to betray us.

But it ain't me he's coming for.

He grabs onto Viola's wrist instead.

"What are you doing?!" she shouts, droppin the gun, strugglin to escape from his grasp, but failin in the attempt.

"VIOLA!" I manage to shout thru clenched teeth, usin everything I have against Eric's army to get up on my knees. The sayin is still too strong, but not enough to keep my Noise down, not completely. Tiny sparks of it come back to life, slowly, but surely, as I watch Matthew attempt to drag Viola away.

"ERIC!" Matthew yells. "I will bring you the girl!"

Eric wags a finger, shakes his head. "It's not her I want!"

"Yes, but you know that wherever she goes, Todd will follow!" Matthew reminds him.

Eric considers his point, and it only takes him a second to comply.

"Hm. Very well! Bring her to me!"

Matthew doesn't hesitate, pullin Viola along to the edge of the hill. She falls onto her knees, digs the toe of her boots into the ground, tryin her best not to be taken away.

"NO! VIOLA!" I shout, still in pain from hearin that sayin, tryin my best to will my Noise back to life.

"Todd!" She shouts desperately. "Help me!"

She yells for my help just as Matthew takes her over the hill and out of my sight. Just like that, she is gone. Taken away in an instant.

And suddenly-

The realization that it could've been the last time I'd see her-

That it could've been the last words she'd ever speak to me-

Is all it takes.

There is a warmth that flows thru my body and into my mind as the words of Eric's army disappear. Not only that, but I can feel everything pulsin thru me, all the fear I had of losin this war, all the love I have for Ben, all the happiness that Viola brings to me, all of the sadness over the people we lost, and every single wish, hope, fear, and dream of everything connected to this Land. I use that energy to bring light into my palms, not only feelin my Noise come alive, but Viola's too, just down the hill. I smile to myself, havin missed this feeling in the short amount of time it was gone, but even more so, because I know it ain't goin away anytime soon.

Cuz we're gonna win this war.

Viola and I are gonna win this war.

_**VIOLA! **_I shout, hopin that she ain't too far away and can still read my Noise.

_**TODD! **_She responds, and I jump, not only feelin her feelings, but actually _hearin _her voice now.

_**Wait, I can hear yer now?! **_I tell her, shocked, but Viola won't let me dwell on it.

_**I guess so! But we'll deal with it later! Come and help me! **_

I nod, usin all the strength and determination I have to run towards the hill, towards Viola, to finally end this once and for all. But before I can make it there-

An explosion goes off at the bottom of the hill.

I run the rest of the way, panicked, and look over the edge to make sure it wasn't Viola who got hit.

But of course, it was our Noise, connected once again, that did it. I see where it happened, in the middle of the hill, where Matthew lies unconscious, heat risin from his body. I look back and forth to try and find Viola, but it ain't hard to miss her, immersed in the middle of Eric's army, fightin off soldiers one at a time with the light comin from her palms. She's doin it all on her own, but I will my Noise to give her even more power, and surges of light fly from her palms, quicker, stronger, and faster now.

And she does it all with a smile on her face.

_**Are you just gonna stand there and watch or come and help me?! **_She tells me thru her Noise.

_**Seems like you got it all on yer own!**_ I joke, watchin as Viola grabs onto a solider, flippin him down into the snow. I start down the hill to help fight at her side when she replies.

_**No, I don't. **_Viola tells me, still fightin with urgency, but a soft feelin comin from her Noise as she addresses me. _**Not without you. I knew you could do it, Todd. **_

And that's really all she's got to say-

Cuz if Viola believes in me-

I will too-

And I won't let her down again-

Because this is where we end this-

This is where we finally get our peace-

This is where we finally get the life we deserve.

I meet Viola at the bottom of the hill, immediately throwin my Noise at Eric's army. We fall into a rhythm beside each other, throwin our light and blastin them into the air, until there are barely any soliders left. The remainin' few try to shoot bullets at us, but the connection between us is so strong, we blast them before they even pull the trigger. They're nearly all gone now, the war seemingly over, but not until we get rid of one last person.

And he ain't nowhere to be found.

_**Where's Eric?!**_ I ask Viola. She's still hittin the soldiers, beads of sweat trickling down her forehead, but she manages to respond anyways.

_**I don't know. He ran off as soon as I got down here.**_

_**You think he got away? **_I ask her.

_**I hope not. This has to end right now! **_She tells me, and I nod, agreein.

I stop shootin next to Viola and look off in the distance, squintin my eyes against the sun, lookin for Eric. If he got away, that wud give him time to create a whole new army, and we'd be right back where we started.

But that worry don't last for too long.

Cuz thru my Noise, I spot him.

Standin right behind me.

Gettin ready to shoot.

My Noise allows me to sense what Eric is goin to do before he does it, and I turn around, throwin a surge of light in his direction. He manages to stumble out of the way, back behind a group of trees, and I sprint right to them, ready to shoot another.

Ready to end him.

To kill him if I have to.

_**Now you want to run away scared! **_I say, challengin him to come out and finish the war he started. _**Come out and get what you asked for, Eric! **_

"None of this is what I wanted, Todd." He says in a voice that isn't his own, almost like he's – sorry. I try to shake this from my mind, not letting his words distract me, and sense that he's on my left. I shoot light in that direction, not even waitin to hear his explanation, but it only hits the tree, causin it to fall. The loud thump makes Viola's Noise rattle, and her worry sends an extra surge of Noise thru me.

_**Todd! Are you okay? **_She asks. I spin around to check on her, where she's using both her light and her fighting skills to punch, kick, and flip the soldiers down into the snow. Once I see that she can handle it on her own, I can respond.

_**Yeah, I'm alright! **_I tell her. _**Eric is just being a wuss and won't come out to get what he deserves!**_

"What I deserve is peace. Just like you, Todd." Eric says, comin' from around the tree on my right. When I see him, I automatically lift my hand, prepared to kill him right then and there. But with his hands up in defense, eyes askin for another chance, the last ounce of sympathy I have left takes over. I stop, only for a minute, not wanting to be the merciless person that was once the mayor. Was once Aaron.

I listen, a shaking hand lifted in defense.

"I tried to warn you of the dangers of this planet, Mr. Hewitt. Tried to get you to see that living with the Spackle is not God's way. But, I see that I am hopeless against you and your cause, and I am willing to surrender if you give me another chance."

_**What makes you think I believe you? **_I ask, immediately.

"You have my word, Todd. You know that my only intention is to spread God's message, his love for all. Allow me to do that at your side. Allow me to build a new world, a world of peace, together."

I wait to hear Viola's opinion on the matter, but her Noise is silent, waitin to hear what I'm goin to decide. Trustin me to make the right choice.

And for a moment, I'm not sure what that is. Killin Eric wud end it all, wud keep this from ever happenin again.

But killin don't gotta be the case. Without an army, Eric is powerless, and with our Noise connected again, Viola and I cud hold him as our prisoner. Maybe even help him see that the Spackle aint bad. That it is possibly to co-exist with one another.

But I don't entertain that idea for long.

A smile spreads across Eric's face when he see's that I'm considerin his point, satisfied that he's almost got the upper hand. But he's forgettin that my Noise can detect any and everything, all the thoughts and feelings and intentions of this Land. And without even realizin it, Eric exposes his entire plan to me. His plan to come back to our community, pretend like he's tryin to help to rebuild our world, but preach his teachings of evilness and hate to the settlers behind our backs. Killin Spackle without us knowin it. Rebuiding his army right under our noses.

And killin me and Viola as soon as he gets the chance.

A frown forms on his lips once he realizes I've figured it out.

_**You ain't never gonna change. **_I say, not even surprised. _**I ain't one to kill, but men like you don't deserve second chances. **_

"Todd, you do not understand." Eric still tries to say. "This world is not meant for those aliens to be a part of!"

_**IF THEY WEREN'T MEANT TO BE APART OF THIS WORLD, THEN WHY WERE THEY CREATED IN THE FIRST PLACE? THEY WERE HERE BEFORE US. IF ANYONE IS AN ALIEN, IT IS US! **_I shout, anger takin over.

Eric looks pissed at my statement that he knows is tru, but he doesn't quit tryin to prove his point.

"Mr. Hewitt, you are a disappointment to God and man alike! Taking the side of those creatures instead of behaving correctly, the way you were meant to. I should have just killed you before and used someone else's Noise when I had the chance!"

And before I can catch him, Eric shoots his gun, sending numerous bullets in my direction. I move out of the way of most, but one bullet slices threw my jacket, barely catching the skin on my side. I stumble into the snow, scrambling to get up and use my Noise to attack-

But within an instant-

The same girl-

Who is always there for me-

Always there to save me-

Is on her way to fight at my side.

Viola runs past me at full speed, throwin light at Eric as he goes flyin into the air. My eyes move to her feet, where his gun is laying in the ground, and I realize that this is our last chance. Our last opportunity.

I have to kill him. Despite how I feel about doin it, I can't let my emotions get in the way. Not with the end of this war so close, the conclusion to it all at the tips of my fingers, if I just do this one thing.

And I look at Viola, watchin as her hair blows in the wind behind her, light comin from her hands, her hope and faith and love in me, in _us_, flowin thru her Noise.

It's enough to make me decide. It's enough to make me choose.

I have to do it for her.

I run up to Viola, grabbin the gun in my hands, and point it to Eric who is heavin heavily in the snow in front of us. He attempts to say a final few words, but I don't allow myself to listen. Instead, I point the gun to him, fightin myself to keep my eyes open, before finally pullin the trigger.

And it goes off.

But it is not my own.

Matthew stands at the base of his hill, his own gun pointed to his father, bullet wound in Eric's chest.

Killed by his own son.

"I…" Matthew starts, but he doesn't get the words out in time. Rage fills my Noise at the person who just betrayed us, and I shoot an unforgiving surge of light towards him.

_**YOU STAY AWAY FROM US! **_I shout, even tho he don't got to, cuz I pushed him a good couple feet into the trees. From what I can see, he's unconscious, but I point my gun towards him anyways.

_**Todd, wait! **_Viola says, spinnin me towards her. She takes the gun from my hands, drops it to the ground, and tightens her grip on my shoulders. _**There's no need to kill him right now, Todd. The real enemy is gone!**_

I stare at Viola, watchin her as she watches me, and it takes a minute for the realization of what's just happened to set in. She places a slightly shaking hand on my cheek before a small smile appears on her lips, letting out a joyous little laugh.

"Do you realize what's just happened, Todd?" she asks me with her regular voice, brining me back to the Viola I'm familiar with. The Viola that I started all of this with.

"We… we won." I whisper to her, not even believing the words that leave my tongue.

She nods her head to confirm that I'm right, tears formin in her eyes and rollin down onto her cheeks. I'm compelled to wipe them away with my thumb, then snake an arm around her wasit, bringin her close to me.

And not ever wantin to let her go.

"We won, Todd. We ruddy _won_." She says, excitement dancin in her eyes, love overflowin in her Noise.

And we stand there like that, in the chilling silence that takes over after a battle, listenin as we take matchin breaths, watchin as our eyes water, searchin for the truth in each other's eyes, even tho we already kno it.

After all of the runnin. All of the fightin. All of the arguin.

After all of the fear. All of the worry. All of the sacrifice.

I, Todd Hewitt.

And most importantly, Viola Eade.

Saved this world.

Saved this planet.

Together.

I look her in the eyes, finally able to say this to her without worryin if it'll be my last.

"I love you, Viola Eade."

**Author's Note: I definitely cried writing this chapter. I read Chaos Walking for the first time almost a year ago, and even after reading so many other books and falling in love with so many other characters, Todd and Viola are STILL my favorites. The love they have for each other and their determination to survive just makes me so happy – so writing this was such a joy! This def isn't the end of the story, I still have some post-war ideas planned, but this felt like the end of all their struggles. AHH. I hope y'all liked it! **


	35. Chapter 35

{Viola}

_**Viola. Wake up. **_

I see Todd through my Noise before I even have the chance to open my eyes. He's leaning over me from his side of the bed, brushing my hair out of my face to see if I'm awake yet.

_**Just five more minutes. **_I respond, my eyes still closed. I pull the covers tighter around my shoulders to further emphasize that I'm not getting up right now, and probably won't in the next five minutes, either. The luxury of sleeping in, worry free, has never been available to us since the day all of this chaos started.

But now that the war is over-

I plan to take full advantage of it-

That, as well as living the life we've always wanted-

Living our life of peace.

But Todd is adamant about me getting up. I can feel it in his Noise, his eagerness to start the day, to watch the sun rise like he's been doing every day for the past week.

_**Just get up to watch the sun with me. Then you can go back to bed. **_He tries to compromise, shaking my shoulder. I barely open my eyes and roll over to see Todd above me, a pout on his lips.

_**You've seen it rise every day for the past week. **_I tell him sleepily, putting a hand on his cheek. Todd scrunches his eyebrows together, as if he's trying to confirm this fact to himself.

_**Not every day this week…**_ He starts, but I interrupt him.

_**Yes, Todd. Every single day. **_I remind him. _**It's not like the sun is going to disappear if you don't watch it. It's not going anywhere. **_

_**I know it ain't. **_Todd says to me. _**But how many times cud we actually see the sun come up and not be afraid that it was the last? **_

I consider Todd's point and can't help but to admit that he's right. Before the war ended, every sunrise was just another reminder that trouble was ahead of us. But now, with Eric gone, with our community reunited, it's a reminder that our lives are actually going to go on. That there's nothing left to fear, or run from, or worry about.

That Todd and I are going to be okay.

And that realization is enough for me to open my eyes fully.

Enough for me to appreciate being awake.

_**Okay. I'll go. **_I say with a small smile, pushing up into a seated position beside Todd. _**But we're coming back to bed afterwards. It's way too cold in the morning, and your Noise keeps me warmer this way. **_Todd grins at this, but not before I read the satisfaction coming from his Noise. He takes my hand in his.

_**Sure we can. I love you. **_He says to me before kissing my temple and moving out of bed. I don't know how many times Todd has said this to me since the war ended, but it seems as if he tries to cram it into every situation, with every chance he gets.

But I'm not complaining.

_**I love you, too. **_I tell him. It's sweeter every time, telling Todd how much I love him simply just to say it, rather than out of fear that I'm going to lose him. I watch him for a moment as he gets dressed, analyzing the scars on his torso before he throws on a long sleeve shirt, watching him wiggle into a pair of pants that slouch on his hips due to losing so much weight, smiling as he ruffles through his hair to only make it more of a mess on top of his head. I smile to myself, finding so much satisfaction in watching Todd get ready for the day, seeing him do something so normal, like he never fought in a single war a day in his life. And I'm so happy to see him that way, so happy that it makes my heart hurt, because if anyone deserves this kind of normalcy, it's Todd Hewitt.

And I think to myself-

Finally.

_**Are yer just gonna sit and watch or are yer joinin me? **_Todd says, catching me thinking about him in my Noise. I roll my eyes playfully before throwing the covers off and begin to get dressed myself.

_**You know, I never understood how annoying it is to have someone else read your thoughts until now. **_I admit.

_**Well, now you know how I feel. **_Todd jokes back.

We still don't know what happened that caused me to get Noise like Todd's. All that we've managed to piece together is that after Todd's Noise undergoes a majorly stressful situation, our connection gets stronger. After fighting and walking back to the Spackle community to reunite with the group, Todd and I brought it up to Ben, but even he didn't understand. We'd meant to get more information from the Spackle, but everyone was too excited to have us back, and we were too excited to be back, that we never revisited it. Lots has changed for us since then – our community is almost completely rebuilt, the settlers and the Spackle are getting along better, and even in the midst of this ongoing Snowscape, things seem to be a little bit more manageable. Now doesn't seem like the right time to create another mystery, trying to figure out my Noise.

And for now, that seems to be working out just fine..

We finish getting dressed in thick pants, puffy coats, and throw on our boots before exiting the tent. Even though the city is almost re-built, Todd and I haven't actually chosen a place to live yet. We figured it would be better to let the settlers get acclimated first, before we start claiming stuff for ourselves. Plus, we like it better this way, in a place we are familiar with. In a place we'll be together. And as long as we are together-

We are alright.

We're first greeted by a cold breeze that whips our hair in the wind, sending chills across our skin, and Todd and I instinctively move closer to one another, using each other's Noise to stay warm as we walk past a few buildings that make up the center of the city.

_**See what I was talking about? We should've stayed in bed!**_ I say to Todd sarcastically, a smile playing on his lips.

_**But it's worth it. You woulda missed the sunrise of a lifetime if you'd stayed in bed. **_Todd responds.

_**The same one as yesterday and the day before that? **_I challenge, nudging his arm with my elbow.

_**You just wait. **_Todd tells me. I try to search his Noise for what he means by that, but he's starting to close it off to me, as if he's hiding something.

_**Stop being nosey. **_Todd says, catching me eavesdropping on his thoughts.

_**Then tell me what's going on! **_I say, no shame in admitting that I was snooping.

_**We're just goin to watch the sunrise. Like I told yer earlier. **_Todd says, but I don't buy it.

"Well aren't y'all pups up early!" Hildy shouts to us. She's walking out of one of the buildings, pails of water in each hand.

_**Yeah, thanks to Todd.**_ _**You need help with those? **_I offer.

_**We got a little time if yer do. **_Todd joins.

But she only shakes her head no.

"I reckon we'll be alright. But Todd pup, don't you got somethin to take care uh this mornin?" Hildy raises her eyebrows with a mischievous look on her face. I only scrunch mine, without a clue of what she's talking about. Todd shakes his head furiously, as if trying to get her to stop talking. Hildy's eyes go wide, recognizing her supposed mistake.

_**What is going on here? Am I missing something? **_I ask the two of them. They both shake their heads immediately.

And now I know for sure.

Something is definitely up.

Todd takes my shoulders in his hands and starts to guide me away from Hildy.

_**We'll see ya later, Hildy! **_Todd shouts. I turn around in his hands and put a hand to his chest, stopping him in his tracks.

"Todd Hewitt!" I say with my actual voice. "What are you lying to me about?"

"Nothing, Viola." He says, using his now too, still suppressing his Noise.

"You can't keep that up forever." I say, but Todd doesn't have a response. Instead, he grabs my wrist and tugs slightly.

"Just stopping askin questions and hurry up before we miss it!"

But before I can respond, I hear Lee's voice shout to me in the distance.

"Viola! Watch out!"

I turn in the direction of his voice, watching as he runs for me at full speed. I spend those few seconds wondering why he's running, and it doesn't register that I should move out of the way until it's too late, his gigantic body crashing right into mine and onto the ground. Luckily the snow is thick enough to protect our fall, though I still wince when he lifts up.

"What the hell, Lee?" I ask.

"I'm sorry, Vi. I was running from-"

Before he can finish his sentence, Steff Taylor hurls a snowball our way, slamming into Lee's back. She lets out her one of a kind laugh, echoing so loudly throughout the city that I'm surprised it doesn't wake all the settlers.

"That's what you get, Lee!" she shouts, running over. "That'll teach you to stop sneaking ice down my jacket when I'm not looking!"

Steff runs over to us just as Todd offers both Lee and I a hand. Once the four of us are standing together, a question begins to form in my Noise-

Since when did Lee and Steff get so close?

But I can't form an answer to this question when Lee reaches for my left hand, breaking my concentration.

"Oh no, did I lose-" Lee starts to say, turning my hand from side to side. He looks up at Todd, worry in his Noise, before Todd clears his throat and widens his eyes.

"Lee, I don't think he's-" Steff starts. I narrow my eyes at them all.

"We gotta get goin." Todd says now, grabbing my hand and pulling us away.

"Wait a minute, what are you guys-"

"Bye!" Steff and Lee say in unison.

I sigh before turning around, trying to keep up with Todd's pace.

"They were acting super weird, right?" I ask Todd as we enter the forest. Todd only shrugs his shoulders.

"No, not really. Why?"

I squint my eyes. "I don't know. I've never seen Steff and Lee hanging out. And the way they were looking at each other, the way they were laughing with each other-"

"Maybe they like each other." Todd says exactly what I was thinking.

Like he read my mind or something.

"Yeah. Maybe they do. But Lee was also acting weird towards me, too. Why was he looking at my hand like that-"

But before I can finish my sentence, Todd and I are both startled by a woman who jumps up from behind the trees.

"Todd! Viola!" she shouts. The first thing I notice are the big, circular glasses she's wearing, wild curly hair curtaining her face. There is a notebook in her hand, lots of scribbles filling it's pages.

"Umm, hi." I say. "Are you…"

"Mona." She says her name, offering a hand for me to shake. I take it, reluctantly, before she goes on to introduce herself. "I'm one of the settlers. I was a scientist back on Earth before our ship arrived here just months ago. It's so nice to finally meet you both!"

I keep an eye on her, searching my brain to see if I remember meeting Mona prior to this moment. It would make sense that I hadn't, seeing that we've been fighting a war the minute they got here, and for a moment I feel guilty. Guilty that I didn't know _any _of the settlers. That is going to have to change if we are to call ourselves leaders of this community.

But for now, we'll start with just one.

"It's nice to meet you, too." I tell her, a smile on my face. "If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing up so early? What are you writing down?"

Mona smiles from ear to ear, as if she's been eager to share her business with someone.

"I'm taking notes on the environment here. I haven't had any time to do research, but now that the war is over, I haven't been able to stay put." She hurries over to stand at my side and gives me her notebook. She gestures for me to flip through its pages, and when I do, it is full of drawings of plants, rocks, the spackle; almost every aspect of our planet. Todd looks over my shoulder, a curious feeling coming from his Noise.

"Wow. You've got a lot written down here." I say, handing it back to her.

"Oh, this is just a fraction of what I've found. This planet is very similar to Earth, as the environment goes, but it is much more advanced. If you would just look at-"

But before Mona can give an analysis of her research, Todd interrupts her.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but Viola and I gotta get goin." he says impatiently, eyes cutting to the sky that is beginning to turn pink. The sun is going to rise any second now.

Mona pauses, blinks, then smiles again. "Of course, another time. But I hope that would be sooner rather than later."

"Of course." I tell her, following along after Todd who's already started walking away, towards the beach.

"Oh, and one more thing!" Mona shouts. Both Todd and I stop in our tracks.

"You have just acquired what they call Noise, correct? The only female to have it?"

The question feels like an accusation, and I am hesitant to respond. But it isn't like I can keep it a secret, so I nod my head yes.

"You'd be right." I say.

Mona doesn't say anything more, just scribbles something down in her notebook.

"Very well, then! Enjoy your morning!"

Todd and I share a puzzled look before continuing our treck through the snow.

"Yer talk about weird." Todd says once Mona is out of earshot.

"She's just… fascinated by her surroundings. You would too if you were a scientist."

Todd gives me a look. "I ain't gonna lie, Viola. I don't even kno wut that is."

I laugh, shoving his shoulder. "Don't worry. We've got plenty of time to figure it out."

We walk in silence the rest of the way until we reach the beach, where Todd insists we watch the sunrise every morning. We take our spot on a low rock that is shaded by trees, sitting close to one another, letting our Noise warm us up. I stifle a yawn before resting my head on Todd's shoulder, but instantly raise it back up when I notice how anxious his Noise is.

_**What is it? **_I ask, my Noise concerned.

_**Wut is wut? **_He says.

_**Why are you so nervous? **_I say, searching his face.

_**I'm not nervous. **_

_**Todd, you can't lie to me. I can literally read your mind. **_

_**Well, maybe yer readin it wrong. **_

I move my head to the side, giving Todd an unconvinced look.

_**I can't read it wrong. It's just… there. What's bothering you? **_

But Todd doesn't answer me, just shifts his gaze back to the sky, watching as the sun begins to rise. I try to do the same, try to enjoy what we're watching, but I can't help being worried about Todd. Though after a while, his Noise begins to settle back to normal, my name running through it repeatedly-

_**Viola, Viola, Viola. **_

_**I think the last time we were here was when 1017 shot me. **_He says.

I place my head back on his shoulder again before giggling. _**We were here just yesterday, Todd. **_

Now it's his turn to laugh. _**I mean during the war. We never came back. **_

I consider his point before going on. _**There really wasn't a reason to. Not to mention we had no time. But now that Eric is gone… we can do a lot more now. **_

Todd shakes his head in agreement. _**It's strange, not havin to run from anything. Not bein afraid. Wut do yer do when nothin bad is happening? **_

And it's a question I asked myself the whole time we were fighting, wondering what would happen, what we would do, if we were lucky enough to make it.

And I find that I don't have an answer to his question.

But what we're doing right now feels like a good start.

_**I don't know. **_I admit to him. _**But I'm sure we'll find lots of stuff to do. And stuff to learn. And we'll do it together. **_

And Todd looks down at me, smiling, before saying, _**I couldn't of thought of anything better.**_

His Noise is spilling with love, so much that even my Noise begins to rattle. It's a beautiful feeling, how connected we are, and I never appreciated it so much until this moment. All of our love and appreciation and sacrifice for one another traveling between our Noise, available to us at any moment, there to be with us forever.

_**Viola. **_Todd says, grabbing my attention.

_**Todd. **_I say lazily, still staring at the sun with my eyes barely open, still enjoying the connection between us.

_**Saving this planet wudn't of meant anything to me if yer weren't here. **_He tells me.

_**I know. I feel the same way. **_I say, my eyes completely shut now, content with the sun shining onto my skin, with Todd sitting by my side.

_**I don't kno wut I wud do without yer. And I don't just mean the war. But… my entire life is better with you in it. **_

I shake my head in agreement against his shoulder. _**I feel the same, Todd. **_

He sighs, then says, _**And even tho you complain a lot and can get angry really quickly and hog all of the covers…**_

Now I sit up straight, giving Todd a glare. _**Hey! You complain way more than me. And at least I don't snore all night like you do!**_

Todd laughs, his Noise getting warmer, **_ Yer still the smartest and funniest and most caring and most beautiful girl I've ever known. _**

And now my eyes fill with tears, not only hearing the truth in his words, but feeling them too.

_**Todd, I…**_

_**Yer don't have to say it back. I already know it. I already feel it. **_He tells me. _**But there is one more thing that I gotta tell yer… I mean… ask yer…**_

And then-

My Noise detects what Todd is going to do-

Before he even does it-

And my heart completely freezes.

Todd gets up to stand in front of me, getting down on one knee. I blink furiously, trying to prevent the tears from falling, but the attempt is completely useless. I'm already crying, tears falling onto my cheeks, and even wiping them with the back of my hand doesn't help. When Todd reaches into his pocket, I can't help but to shout-

"Todd Hewitt!"

He stops fumbling in his pocket and looks up at me, confused.

"Huh?"

"What are you ruddy doing?!"

But he isn't caught off guard by my response. Instead, he smiles.

"I was gettin to that, Viola."

Now, in addition to the tears, my hands begin to shake, panic rising within me. "Now... now it all makes sense." I manage to say. "The way you were acting. I can see it in your Noise, now. You were planning this the whole time!"

Todd, still on his knee, scoots closer to me. He grabs my hands in his before placing our interlocked fingers into my lap, his touch automatically calming me down. He looks up at me, a genuine smile on his face, before saying-

"I've been plannin it since the day I met you, Viola."

I look at him, both annoyed and flattered at such a silly statement. But my heart swells, Noise overflows with love, nonetheless "Liar. You hated me the first day I met you."

Todd shrugs. "That's... kinda tru. But I still knew I couldn't be without yer. Why do yer think I came back to save you?"

And I smile, remembering that time, and everything we'd been through together since. "Same reason I came back for you."

Now Todd's eyes gloss over. "I ain't never planned on not havin you in my life, Viola. For however long it lasts, I want yer there."

"Me neither, Todd. Always." I say, showing him how much I mean it through my Noise.

And then he takes a deep breath-

Before letting go of my hands-

And reaches into his pocket-

To pull out a silver ring-

Holding it up to me-

Before asking the one question-

That my Noise has already answered to-

The answer that will always be a yes-

"Viola Eade." He starts, eyes watering, smiling because he's already read my answer in my Noise.

"Will you marry me?"

I've never been so sure of anything in my life.

"Yes." I tell him.

We both knew it would happen eventually. But something about that moment, right as Todd slips the ring onto my finger, swooping me into his arms, kissing me before the rising sun, that feels so surreal. It's as if we are the only two people on this planet, sharing a connection that nothing, and no one, can break. I can't remember the last time I'd felt this happy, this much at home, but as Todd and I break away from our kiss, standing in each other's arms, looking at each other with huge smiles and through blurred vision, I realize that this feeling will never go away. That, as long as we are together, I will always have my place in this world.

That as long as I have Todd Hewitt-

I will always be home.

**Author's Note: I always assumed that I'd end this fic with Todd and Viola getting married… but I was creeping through my own Goodreads account today and was reminded that, on this day last year, I'd finished the Ask and the Answer. That was SUPER nostalgic for me, so I figured, WHY STOP NOW? I love Chaos Walking, and with the movie series about to come out, there's no way I'll be able to end it. So, the show will go on!**

**But I do want to thank you guys so much for reading THIS FAR into the story. Writing is a lot more fun when people love the series too, so please know, you're so loved and appreciated! Hope ya liked this sweet lil chapter! The next few after this probably won't mention the war, we'll just see Todd and Viola doing normal things. I'm so excited for that! **

**Also… I've been hearing some rumors about a movie trailer coming out soon. I don't know how credible that is but LET'S CROSS OUR FINGERS AND HOPE IT'S TRUE because I seriously cannot wait! **


	36. Chapter 36

[Todd]

"If yer didn't believe dat Todd pup wuz a man bufor, yer sur as heck shud believe it now!"

Viola laughs at Hildy's joke, but I've gotta force mine. Savin an entire planet, _twice, _shud of made me a man already. But I guess askin Viola to marry me counts for that, too.

Even tho I knew she wud say yes, I'd never been more nervous in my life.

We'd just got back from the beach, and everyone wuz waitin for us back in the city. I tried to keep the whole thing a secret, but that ain't easy to do when yer Noise is anxious about askin the girl you love to spend the rest of her life with you.

That's how they all found out, thru my Noise.

But their excitement makes it all the more fun.

"Congrats you two!" Steff Taylor says now, throwin her arms around our necks to pull us both in a hug. "Now _Viola _is officially a woman. I never thought I'd see the day come."

When Viola and I pull away from her, I'm surprised to see that Viola's actually smilin, when she'd usually be scoldin Steff. Guess the whole engagement thing's got her in a good mood, too.

"Gee, thanks Steff." Viola says. "I'll be sure to remember that when it comes time to choose bridesmaids."

"VIOLA EADE!" Steff gasps, grabbin onto Viola's shoulders with wide eyes. "YOU HAVE TO PUT ME IN YOUR WEDDING!"

"I don't _have _to-"

"Oh, but you do." Steff assures her. "As a matter of fact, I should be maid of honor. You need someone to choose your flowers and make your dress and do a speech – who knows you better than I do? We lived in SPACE together. You basically need me to make sure everything goes perfectly."

"You? Making sure everything goes perfectly?" Viola questions with a raised eyebrow.

"Um, excuse me? I saved your _life, _okay?"

Viola shrugs, then teases her. "I guess so. But I'll have to think about it."

"Oh, Viola c'mon! Todd would you help me out here?!"

"I'm stayin out of it." I turn away from their conversation, partly cuz I don't understand it, but mostly cuz I'm itchin to talk to Ben. He was the only person I let kno about proposin to Viola, the one who helped me figure out what to say, the one who encouraged me to do it even when I was doubtin myself. Other than Viola, Ben is the only person I loved that much. I wanted him to be a part of it all, a part of this new little family we're makin. That is, if I could just find him-

"Even though you and Viola were basically already married – congrats!" Lee says, appearing in front of me. He gives me a clap on the shoulder before pullin me into a hug.

"Thanks, Lee." I say. "That means a lot. You don't kno how nervous I wuz."

"Oh, I bet." He says when we pull away. "I wouldn't have the guts to do it."

It's only for a brief moment, but I see Lee's head turn in the direction of the girls, an image of Steff appearin in his Noise. When he notices that I've noticed, the image goes away, but it's all too obvious that Lee is thinkin of her as more than a friend.

And I can't help but to smile.

"You like her." I say to him. Normally I wouldn't want to get in the middle of other people's business, but that's only because we were dealin with a war. Now, it's kinda fun to just be-

Normal.

"I do." Lee says, not even tryin to hide the truth. "I know she can be a bit much-"

"A bit?" I say.

"Okay, a lot." But this realization doesn't faze Lee. "She's still really funny. And fun to be around. And she can be caring when she wants to. I don't know, ever since Viola made it clear that we were just friends-"

Lee pauses, his Noise unsure if he can bring up wut happened between them in front of me, but I wave it off.

"It's fine." I say to him. "I'm already engaged to the girl. It don't bother me."

Lee nods before goin on. "It's been nice to have Steff around, is all."

I nod, understandin. "So are yer gonna tell her?"

"I mean… do I have to? I'm sure she feels the same way."

I shrug. Even before Viola had Noise, it was obvious how we felt about each other. Now that I think of it, I don't even think I ever told Viola I liked her. I just kept sticking around, and so did she. That cud easily be the case with Lee and Steff, too.

But then again, no one has the same connection that me and Viola do.

I mean, we can quite _literally_ read each other's minds.

But there' also the love part of it, too.

"I think she does." Todd says. "She wouldn't be around yer all the time if she didn't feel somethin. But the only way you'll kno for sure is if you tell her. She's a girl, so she'll probably want to hear it from yer at some point."

We both share a laugh before Lee gets serious. "You're lucky you've got a free pass into a woman's mind, now that Viola has Noise."

"She don't like it all the time, tho." I joke.

"Well, now she knows how we feel."

Me and Lee both laugh again, and I wrestle with feelin both happy and confused. I don't think I've ever had a normal conversation with Lee, not that there was ever _time _for one, but now that the war is over, (between Eric… _and _over Viola), I get this feelin that maybe, me and Lee cud be good friends.

Now I'm proposin the idea to him before I know it.

"Yer kno.. we shud all… hangout sometime." I blurt out, feelin akward, but it's too late to take it back. Lee raises a questionin eyebrow.

"Who?"

"Me and Viola and you and Steff."

"But… we hangout all of the time?"

"Yeah… but that that wuz when we were all runnin or shootin at somethin." I explain.

"So you mean hangout as in-"

I huff out a sigh. Apparently the whole normal life thing is gonna take some gettin used to.

"Just, spend time together. Cuz we feel like it. Cuz we can."

Lee smiles a real smile. "I think that'd be fun, Todd. What do you say about tonight? At the beach?"

"Sure. Sounds good." I say, and it's weird, makin up a plan just for the heck of it.

"What did you just sign me up for, Todd?" Viola says, walkin up and hip checkin me.

"We're all going to hangout." Lee says, still smiling wide and eager.

"Oh, fun! When? Where?"

"The beach." I say, a silly smile comin up on my face now, too.

But I can't help it, seein Viola lookin all happy.

If anyone deserves to be-

It is her.

"Where's Steff?" Lee asks Viola. She looks behind her and furrows her eyebrows, like she expected for Steff to of been there.

"I don't know – she may have gone off to work already. There's still a lot left for us to do."

We'd been helpin to rebuild the community ever since the war with Eric was over, and even tho I wuz glad to have somethin to do, I hated havin to be separated from Viola. She wuz workin with the healers while I helped Lee and Bradley on the buildings. The work took all day, and we were both so tired by the end of it that we barely had the energy for a regular conversation, but at least we had our Noise and cud talk to each other, even when we were a part. Viola likes to make jokes about Steff and Mistress Lawson at random times durin the day, and since I'm the only one who can hear em, I have to fight to keep myself from laughin and lookin like an idiot in front of the other guys. But sometimes, I don't care if I let one or two slip.

Cuz there really ain't no use in us fighin anymore.

Plus, Viola can be really funny, when she wants to be.

"I heard that." She says to me now, flicking my shoulder.

"I kno you did. That's why I said it." I say, winkin at her and makin her blush.

Now Lee is speaking up. "Viola, how did you even _get_ Noise, in the first place? And can you teach it to Steff so that I don't have to confess my feelings to her?"

Viola smirks, then pats Lee on the shoulder. "Lee, you are the hundredth person to ask me that, and I'm going to give you the same answer I've given everyone else – I ruddy have no idea."

Then her tone shifts before she continues, "And Steff doesn't need Noise for you to know that she likes you. I can tell you right now, she wouldn't waste her time if she didn't."

Lee looks like he wants to ask her another question, but Viola is already walking off, waving to the both of us.

"You heard her." I tell him, a matter of fact. "Now let's get back to work so we aren't a part from them for too long."

…

After we finished workin for the day, we all group up together and head for the beach. I'm the only one who doesn't get the point of it – it's not like we can actually get in the water, since it's so cold – but everyone else seems so eager to go, so I'm goin.

I help Lee set up a fire while the girls talk to each other. Well, it's mainly just Steff ranting on and on about something, and Viola only halfway listenin. I only kno that cuz Viola's talkin to me thru her Noise, instead.

_**Nothing against Lee and Steff, but I think we should get to know **_**other **_**people to han gout with. I thought Steff talked a lot before but she's even WORSE now. **_

It's one of those times I gotta keep myself from laughing, so I fold my lips into my mouth before respondin to Viola.

_**Aw, c'mon Viola. I was just starting to think me and Lee cud actually be friends. **_I tell her.

She looks over to me now, a pleading look on her face, but I only raise my eyebrows at her.

_**Please, Todd? I really don't know how much of Steff Taylor I can handle on a daily basis. **_

_**Marriage is about compromise, Viola. **_

_**Well, we aren't married yet. **_

Now I give her a serious look, my eyebrows furrowed, and she laughs at my reaction before amending the joke.

_**I'm just kidding, Todd. **_

I don't admit to her that I knew that already, that she wasn't really goin anywhere.

_**Steff really likes you, Viola. **_I try to tell her, because who doesn't? People are naturally drawn to her, and for good reason. _**When you think about it, you're really the only girl friend she's got. **_

Viola pauses a moment.

_**Thanks a lot for making me feel guilty, Todd. **_

I smile. _**Yer welcome. **_

"I can tell that you're talking to Viola." Lee says, throwin wood onto the fire.

"I- uh." I stutter, but what's the use in hidin it? "Yeah, I was." I confess.

"You need to teach me how to impress Steff. So we can be like you and Viola."

I shake my head. "Didn't yer hear Viola earlier? You aint gotta do nothin but be yerself."

"Please, Todd? I need your help."

I sigh, but Lee is persistent, so I comply.

"Okay, okay. Just – do wut I do. I guess."

Lee nods before the girls start walkin over to us. Once Viola is standin next to me, I wrap a blanket around her shoulders, then gesture for her to sit down. I take the seat next to her before seein that Lee tries to do the same thing – pickin up his own blanket to offer to Steff. But he trips over his own two feet, droppin the blanket, it nearly landin in the fire.

"Lee! Be careful!" Viola shouts, and I just bury my face in my hands.

"What are you doing, Lee?" Steff shouts, confused.

"Yes, Lee, wut are yer doin?" I say.

He clears his throat, then picks the blanket up from the snow, dustin it off.

"It was, um, the wind. Blew it right out of my hands."

It ain't a bad lie – the wind actually _is_ blowin – and luckily, Steff believes him. They sit down beside each other and start talkin to themselves before Viola turns to me in her Noise.

_**He was totally trying to make a move, huh? **_She says to me.

_**Yep. I think I know wut you mean about us gettin new friends. These two are somethin else. **_

Viola nudges me in the ribs. _**Nope. Too late. Lee obviously looks up to you, Todd. **_

_**There you go. **_I say, and she gives me a questioning look.

_**What?**_

_**One-upping me. **_I say, playfully nudging her shoulder with mine.

_**Well, prepare for a lifetime of that. **_She says, winking.

"So, Todd. Viola." Steff speaks up. "When's the wedding going to be?"

We look at each other, shrug, then back to them.

"We don't kno." I tell her. "Soon, probably?"

"Yeah, soon. But we aren't rushing it either." And I nod, agreein with her.

"So... soon but not soon?" Steff says, disbelief in her voice. "You do realize that makes NO sense."

"Geez, Steff. We just got engaged today!" Viola says. A gust of wind blows through, causin Viola to bunch up the edge of the blanket in her hand, her chin shakin from the cold. I lift a hand and move circles around her back, tryin to keep her warm, and Steff gives us a look.

"Well the two of you might not even need a wedding, you already act like you're married!" She says. "Right Lee?"

Lee nods, unamused, just when Viola gets an idea.

"How about the two of you help us plan it?" She offers.

"As in… we do it together?" Steff says. "Like a best man and a bridesmaid?"

"Yeah." Viola shakes her head. "That's exactly what I mean."

"AHHH VIOLA! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU PUT ME IN YOUR WEDDING!" Steff shrieks.

_**Based on that conversation you had earlier, I don't think you had any other choice. **_I tell Viola secretly. She snorts.

_**I'm only doing it for Lee – that way they're forced to spend time with each other AND they'll leave us to ourselves. For the most part. **_Viola tells me.

_**It ain't a bad idea. **_I say, givin her credit. Any excuse to be with Viola, as much as I can, is one I'll take.

Lee and Steff and me and Viola end up stayin at the beach for the whole night. We talk and laugh and play Viola's games and eat these white puffy things Viola called marshmellows, and even tho mine was a little burnt and I didn't like it too much, I ate it anyways cuz it made Viola happy. Once we were full and the conversation died down and it was getting closer to dawn, everyone started driftin off to sleep, Steff restin her head on Lee's shoulder, me and Viola layin next to each other on the blanket in the sand. She fell asleep a long time ago, but I'm just barely awake, watchin as her eyes dance behind her eyelids, watchin as she dreams good dreams for the first time in a while. For a minute, she's so still, unmoving, and I almost don't believe she's real, that she's still here, with me, after all this time. But once the wind blows she shivers, startlin me since I'd been starin at her so long, I scoot closer, and wrap an arm around her torso, and I feel her Noise gettin warmer, and I kno that it's real. That she's still here, and that's she's gonna be, for however long we both have left.

And that's how I fall asleep – with Viola at my side and our Noise warm together and knowin we're gonna be alright.

….

Viola screams and I instantly jolt awake.

"Wut's wrong?!" I say, raisin up.

"Sorry, Todd." She says, still layin down. She's got the covers up to her chest with one hand while holdin my bicep with the other, a startled look on her face. "She just.. scared me."

I follow Viola's gaze and see that the lady scientist with the crazy hair is hunched over her, starin at her real close and scribblin in her notebook. I wrap my arm around Viola's waist and pull her closer to me, then try to address the lady, who wasn't even phased by Viola screamin.

"Uhhh, good mornin." I tell her, and if I'm honest, I forgot her name, so I don't even try to say it.

"Mona." She says, readin my Noise, but still writin furiously. "My name is Mona."

Viola sits up, leanin into me. I wrap an arm around her shoulder for protective measure. "What – what are you doing, Mona?"

"I mean, this is just astonishing." She says, still writin like she's gonna forget her words if she don't put em down fast enough. "I knew that the men of this land had Noise, as well as female creatures, but you, Viola. Yours is just – amazing!"

Viola furrows her eyebrows, then leans forward to look in the lady's notebook.

"Are you… are you taking notes on me?"

"On you AND Todd." She says, jerkin her head up real fast, causin Viola to jump back towards me.

"Wut for?" I ask, already suspicious.

"Have you not heard the things being said around this city?" Mona asks us, and we shake our heads no.

"_Everyone _is talking about the girl who has Noise. They wonder how it's possible, they're curious of what it can do. People are going to want answers, you know, and I am just the person to give it to them."

"We don't need the answers." I rush to say. "We're fine with it the way it is."

Mona can tell I'm hesitant so she's stops writin like she's gonna break the notepad and looks up at me.

"Todd, I know you've been through a lot, and it might be hard to trust me. But let me just say, I am only doing _research. _I have no intention on changing your Noise. I simply want to – learn about it."

Mona's speech still don't change my mind – me and Viola don't need anyone trying to _figure us out. _But when I look over at Viola, she's got all kinds of questions goin on in her Noise.

"How can you – how can you _hear _my Noise? Only Todd can." Viola asks.

"I can't hear it." Mona says, flippin the notebook around to show her. Viola leans forward and squints her eyes to read it, but I still keep mine on Mona. "But I can tell what you're saying based on Todd's reactions. He can read your words, your emotions, your fears, your desires, your desires for _Todd-"_

"My what?!" Viola says, heat risin to her cheeks.

"Okay, that's enough." I tell her. "I don't mean to be disrespectful but that's an invasion of privacy."

But Mona only shrugs, like she don't even care. "It's just research."

"Well, we didn't ask for yer to do no research." I say. "Yer can do whatever yer want but you need to leave us alone."

Viola don't argue, and Mona looks twixt the two of us before noddin in agreement and standin up.

"Of course, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude." She says, but she sounds more annoyed than apologetic. She dramatically rips the notes out of her notebook and hands em to Viola, who takes em reluctantly. "Just… look over what I've found, and maybe you'll change your mind."

She walks away from us, or stomps away, rather, and I almost laugh at how dramatic the whole thing is and turn to Viola to tell her.

"That was creepy." I tell her, and she nods, but is still readin the notes.

"Wut?" I say when she doesn't respond.

"Nothing." Viola says, her eyes dartin around the page. "That was just… so strange. And I can barely read what she was writing… none of it makes sense."

"Well, it doesn't matter anyways." I say, layin back down on the blanket. "We're fine. It's just Noise, I've had it all my life. Ain't nothin new to learn about it."

"Yeah… but I haven't." Viola says, turnin to look down at me. "And…"

She pauses, puts a hand over mine.

"And… what?" I ask her.

"And.. don't you want to know, Todd?"

When I see the concern on her face, I instantly sit up, grabbin her hand in mine.

"Know wut, Viola?"

She takes a deep breath.

"Don't you want to know why I have Noise?"

**Author's Note: I thought that taking a ton of English classes' this semester would be a good idea but unfortunately, Chaos Walking fanfiction doesn't count as REAL work. But I'm glad I FINALLY got this chapter out, I missed writing about Todd and Viola! I am going to try so hard to update more during this week, especially now that we're getting into Viola's Noise. Hope y'all enjoy! **


	37. Chapter 37

**{Viola}**

I've come to realize that, in agreeing to marry Todd, I've signed up for a lifetime of explanations.

"I don't get the point of this." Todd says, looking over my shoulder at the pros and cons list I've been writing. "Writin down all the good reasons and all the bad reasons ain't gonna help yer decide wut to do about yer Noise. It's just gonna confuse yer more."

I turn around in my stool to face Todd, who's got a paintbrush in one hand and a bucket of paint in the other. We're in one of the houses that he'd helped build over the last few weeks. It wasn't ours - we still hadn't grown out of sleeping in a tent and in a shared cot – so for now we were just decorating the homes for other people. It was our job to make sure they were taken care of first, after all.

But admittedly, we were pretty distracted right now.

We still hadn't figured out what to do about my Noise.

"The point is to make the decision _easier._" I tell him, holding up the list. "Whichever column has the best reasons is what I'll choose."

Todd hinges forward, squints his eyes at the list. "Well, looks like yer choosin not to do anything about it. You haven't even written anything on the 'good' side."

I tear the page away from his eyes to look at it myself, even though I already knew what was written down, considering that _I _was the one who wrote it.

"I was _getting _to that." I lie – other than being curious, I really didn't have any _good_ reasons.

"Mhm." Todd says, putting the paint brush and bucket onto the wooden floor that is covered in tarp.

"Look, Viola. I kno you wanna kno, but we don't need to kno. You kno?"

"What?" I say, followed by two confused laughs. "I don't know what you just said, Todd."

"You do kno-"

"We should stop saying know."

Todd senses irritation in my Noise, but it only makes him smile, wanting to tease me more.

"No, we shouldn't."

"Todd." I say pointedly, but can't help smiling. "You just said it again."

"I didn't." He shrugs, trying to play it off. "I said 'no' not 'kno.' There's a difference."

"Not in the way they sound!"

"I don't kno wut you mean-"

"Todd Hewitt!" I shout, getting out of my stool and playfully grabbing onto his wrists. "If you don't stop saying that word I'm going to-" 

"Yer gonna wut?" He challenges, fully grinning now.

I look to the bucket of paint on the floor, quickly snagging the brush and dipping it into the paint. I hold it out in front of me as if it were a weapon – threatening to use it against him.

"Or I'll splatter you with paint." I say, raising a suggestive eyebrow.

But Todd isn't fazed by my threat, just crosses his arms, grinning in the slightest.

"_No_ you won't."

When he says it again, I fling the brush in his direction, white paint flying off the bristles and splattering onto Todd's clothes. He laughs loudly and I let out a shriek, watching as Todd runs towards the bucket, dips his hands inside, and chases after me.

"Todd! Stop!" I shout through a series of shrieks and laughs as he chases me throughout the kitchen.

"Yer started it!" he says, laughing along with me.

Todd chases me around the table, and when I turn to see how close he's gotten, he extends his fingers and flings paint onto my face. I shriek before running through the doorway that led out of the kitchen, and into a hallway that's only lit by the setting sun that shines through the window in the foyer. I clamor down the hallway, but Todd is faster, wrapping his arms around me from behind before smearing the paint all over my face.

"Todd! You ruddy got it all over my clothes." I shout, turning around and playfully shoving him in the chest.

"Yer asked for it." He says, paint marks on his smiling face, too.

"And we got it all over the floor!" I say, pointing to the floor that isn't covered in tarp. "And this isn't even going to be our house."

"It could be." Todd says. "Ain't nobody claimed it yet. And we don't need anything big or fancy – this wud be perfect."

I purse my lips, cross my arms. "Are you asking me to move in with you, Todd Hewitt?"

His eyes turn soft before he reaches for my cheek. "Well were yer gonna say no? Cuz that wud be weird, considerin that we're engaged-"

But instead of letting him finish, I lean forward and quickly peck him on the lips, smiling as I pull back. "It's ours, then."

Todd and I both share a feeling of happiness in our Noise – we'd gone from running through the woods, sleeping in cots, being stuck on scout ships, to having a _house_. Together. It was almost unbelievable, but we didn't waste any time dwelling on it. It had gotten easier and easier to believe this was our new life, that this was what normal felt like.

Todd runs his thumb across my cheek, leaning in to kiss me again, when we're startled by someone walking through the front door.

_**Todd? Viola**__? _

It was Ben, looking for us.

Todd's Noise rattles with excitement – he still hadn't spoken to his father after the proposal. He grabs my hand before near sprinting back to the living room, where Ben stood with happiness and congratulations and pride swirling through his Noise.

_**Well look who it is! **_He says through his Noise, a huge smile on his face. He pulls both me and Todd in for a hug, squeezing us tight.

"Where have yer been?" Todd says when he pulls away, all smiles but still concerned.

_**Oh, you know. Just busy with the settlers. **_He says, shrugging. _**Congratulations, you two!**_

"Thanks." Me and Todd both say in unison.

_**He's a handful, Viola. I hope you're ready for that. **_

"Oh, I know." I scoff, placing a hand on Todd's shoulder. "But so am I – and we still seemed to of made it work."

_**Speaking of made it work. **_Ben says, his eyes roaming the walls that have yet to be painted. _**Have you two actually done anything in here?**_

Todd and I look to each other with panicked expressions – even though we'd basically claimed the house for ourselves, we still didn't get any _real _work done today. I was too preoccupied with figuring out what to do with my Noise, and Todd was too preoccupied with _watching _me figuring out what to do with my Noise – so all we ended up doing was make the Noise situation even more confusing and getting paint all over the floor.

There's no use in us withholding the truth, because Ben can read it all in Todd's Noise, but he doesn't seem frustrated with us.

_**It's okay. You two have been through a lot, you deserve a break. **_Ben says.

"We'll do better tomorrow." Todd says, guilt filling his Noise.

"We will." I'm quick to agree. "Todd and I have a lot to celebrate but we're still dedicated to building a new community."

_**It's no problem, really. **_Ben reassures us. _**The community is actually doing really well – everyone is getting along, even with the Spackle. So you two should take some of the burden off. Things are going to be… okay. **_

And it's the first time someone says those words and I actually believe them.

"So me and Viola are gonna be livin here now." Todd says randomly, earning a smile from Ben.

_**Todd- **_He starts, sounding so proud of his son. He's at a loss for words, but we both know how he feels, images of Todd growing up with Ben and Cillian swirling around in his Noise. They both start to tear up, father and son, and I feel like it's a moment that I should let them share together, alone, until Todd reaches for my hand.

"He woulda loved you, Viola." Todd says, his eyes brimmed with tears though a smile is on his face. "Probably more than the two of us."

Ben laughed, _**I almost agree with you there, son. **_

"I think I would have, too." I tell them, before a thought occurs to me. "You two should sit me down sometime soon tell me all about him. All about life before – all of this."

_**Well we've got plenty of time to catch you up. **_Ben nods.

"We shud tonite." Todd says – excitement in his Noise. "We cud bring everyone over, as a matter of fact."

"You're starting to get out of hand with arranging hang outs, Todd." I say, laughing, and earn a pointed look from Todd.

_**You two don't have to do that. **_Ben says. _**The Spackle are actually having a festival tonight – to celebrate finishing the community. They'd like for us all to be there. **_

Todd and I look to each other, unable to hide the smiles on our faces and the happiness in our Noise.

"We'll be there, then." I say. "Should we bring anything?"

Ben shrugs. _**Just yourselves. And energy to party, of course. I've heard the Spackle will keep you on your feet. **_

Todd lets out a single laugh, lacking the humor. "Wut do yer mean? Like dancin?"

I sense the fear in his Noise and look at him with a raised eyebrow. "What, you don't like to dance?"

Todd's face is blank, but Ben quickly answeres for him. _**Well, he **_**can. **_**But he isn't-**_

"That's enough, Ben." Todd says, warning in his tone. But I can already see the memoires coming up in his Noise when he was a child, dancing horribly offbeat with Ben and Cillian, tripping over his own two feet. He notices me noticing and quickly tries to cover his Noise, and I try my hardest to keep my laughs in with puffed cheeks.

But it doesn't work.

"Real nice, Viola." He says as I bend over in laughter, clutching my stomach. "I hope yer got a good look because that's all the dancin yer gonna get from me."

"What? No!" I say after hearing his threat, quickly standing up to meet his gaze. "You can't _not _dance, Todd."

"Yes I can." He says, a matter of fact. "Yer just gonna laugh at me the whole time."

"So?" I say, shrugging as if it's nothing. "We make fun of each other all the time!"

But Todd doesn't change his mind, crossing his arms with a blank look on his face.

"Okay, fine. I won't laugh. See." I say, rearranging my expression to be as blank as Todd's. But after a few seconds that same image of him dancing as a kid pops into my mind, and Ben's amused face that I can see out of the corner of my eye doesn't help, either. I bite the inside of my lip to keep my composure –

But again, it doesn't work.

A laugh escapes from his lips.

"Viola!" He complains. "You laughed again!"

"I can't help it!" I say.

_**You can't blame her, Todd. **_Ben interjects. _**It is pretty funny. **_

"I'm not doin it." Todd says, a matter of fact.

My shoulders drop and my head tilts to the side before giving Todd a disappointed look. But I don't press the issue further – Todd will most likely come to his senses once he's surrounded by all of his friends and family and the community. Even Todd, who supposedly has two left feet, won't be able to give up the opportunity to celebrate how far we've all come.

_**Well, regardless if you dance or not, I know you'll be there. Everything is going to start just before sundown. **_

"Sounds good." I say, giving Ben a smile. "Want to stick around until then? We could use some help cleaning up, since _somebody_ insisted on chasing me around with a dripping wet paintbrush-"

Todd narrowed his eyes at me playfully. "_Yer_ the one who started that –"

_**As much as I'd like to. **_Ben interrupts, sensing the oncoming argument. _**I told Hildy and Jane that I'd help them set up for later. **_

"No worries." Todd says, and I nod in understanding.

"We've got all the time in the world, now." I say. "Let me walk you out Ben. And Todd-" I say, giving him a pointed look before gesturing towards the messy floor. "Clean up your mess."

Todd smiles at me before poking me in the side, and I swat his hand away playfully before following Ben out of the living room and to the front door.

_**So I'll see you two soon, then? **_Ben said, opening the door to let in the cool breeze from outside.

"You will." I say, but peer over my shoulder before asking Ben the question I'd been hiding in my Noise. "Hey, Ben? Can I ask you something?"

He furrows his eyebrows, closes the door just slightly. _**Is it about your Noise?**_

I bite the inside of my lip before nodding guiltily. "I know you said you didn't know much about it – but someone brought it to my attention yesterday. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. And Todd…"

_**Don't worry about him, Viola. **_Ben says. _**He's just worried about what you'll find – but if you really want to know, he'll support you. **_

I consider Ben's point before nodding, though he doesn't let me respond.

_**Who exactly told you that it was important to figure out the origin of your Noise? **_He asks, though I can see in his Noise he already knows who.

"Mona." I admit, annoyed just by saying her name. "She's already stopped Todd and I two times about my Noise, and out of those two times she was ruddy watching us_ sleep._ And she was taking notes, Ben!"

He gives me a reassuring look. _**I'm not surprised by that – a lot of settlers have complained about her being sort of…**_

"Crazy?" I finish for him.

_**That's a variation of what I've heard, yes. **_Ben says. _**She's just really interested in our planet, and even though she's a little pushy - **_

"Completely overbearing." I say. "And Todd… he doesn't like her at all – and rightfully so. But honestly, Ben, I can't deny that I am a little curious about my Noise. I mean, I'm the only girl on New World to have it… and only Todd can read it. At first I thought it was great, because it helped us _a lot _in the war. But now that it's all over…"

My voice trails off as I try to convey my feelings to Ben. It isn't that I dislike having Noise – I actually love it more than anything, especially being connected to Todd's. But not knowing where it came from, and especially not knowing if it would ever get stronger, more powerful, more accessible to the rest of the world –

It still made me wonder.

_**I can't say that it isn't a little… confusing. **_Ben says. _**But we've always said that, if men can get **_**rid **_**of Noise, it shouldn't be impossible for women to also get it. **_

"So… do you think other women can get Noise?" I say, hopeful that the answer is yes.

Hopeful that I won't always have to be the only one.

_**I think so, yes. **_Ben says. _**But I don't want to give you false information and ruin your hopes of finding out the truth. Why don't you speak to the Spackle about it tonight? Even with all of my training, they know much more about it than I do. **_

I give Ben a small smile – both relieved the conversation is almost over, though disappointed that I still didn't have an exact answer.

"Of course I will. Thanks, Ben." I say, giving him a smile.

_**Anytime. **_He tells me, patting my shoulder. _**Also, try to keep Todd in the loop about it. Trust me – he'll be on board with whatever you decide. **_

I give Ben a hug before he turns and leaves, then let out a sigh once I'm alone in the foyer. Would it be a good idea to bring up all of this Noise stuff at the festival? For the first time in a _long_ time we finally have peace, and I'm not so sure that now is the best time to create a new problem to solve –

But this was something I had to do –

Something I _wanted _to do –

For me.

For the first time, in a long time –

I ruddy wanted to do something _for me. _

"Viola." Todd's voice interrupted my thoughts. I whip around to see him at the end of the hallway.

"Hmm?" is all I can manage as a response.

"So I cleaned up _your _mess." He says, walking down the hall with a towel in hand. "But next time, it's gonna be on you-"

"Hey, Todd." I say once he's in front of me. "Can I ask you something?"

His eyebrows furrow in confusion, reading the anticipation in my Noise. "Anything, Viola. Wut's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." I say, swallowing the lump in my throat. "I just… so I just asked Ben about my Noise, and he said I should talk to the Spackle about it. About… how I may have gotten it. Do you… are you okay with me doing that?"

Todd's expression goes from concerned to relieved, as his face relaxes, his shoulders loosen up. He takes my hands in his before responding, "Viola… you don't have to ask me to do that. It's yer choice."

"Yeah." I start to counter. "But I know you weren't too excited about the idea before –"

"That was only cuz I didn't want Mona botherin yer, or gettin in yer head." Todd says quickly. "I mean, I'm no scientist or researcher or whatever she is… but I don't think there's any harm in yer havin Noise."

I nodded before offering him a small smile. "I don't think there is either, Todd. But the fact that I'm the only girl with Noise… that you're the only one who can hear it? I mean.. it's… amazing. But I can't deny that I really, _really, _want to know how it's even possible."

Todd's Noise grows with warmth and acceptance before he smiles. "So let's figure it out, then. Together."

"Great." I say, my Noise full of excitement. "We'll say hi to a few people once we get to the festival – and then we'll find the Spackle."

…

But Todd and I quickly forget about our plan to find the Spackle and learn about my Noise _as soon _as we get to the festival. It was already dark once we'd made it to the center of town, a large bonfire lighting up against the night sky, with human settlers and Spackle all chatting and dancing and laughing with one another around it. Steff and Lee immediately ran up to us, wrapping me and Todd in warm hugs before we get into a full on conversation – laughing and joking with one another. Music also played in the background, as Spackle and a few of the settlers played on handmade instruments, and I danced around Todd, trying my best to get him to join me even though he wouldn't budge. I knew that I looked silly – I hadn't danced in what felt like _years_, but I couldn't help it.

"Viola, I'm not gonna do it!" Todd says, smiling as I grab onto his wrists and twist him from side to side.

"So you're just gonna make me dance all by myself?" I say, still tugging on his arms.

Todd laughs, puffs of white air escaping from his lips. "Yes, I am."

I stop mid dance, let his arms drop to his side, before gaping my mouth open in surprise.

"Fine. I'll just dance with Steff and Lee, then."

I hop over to the middle where Steff and Lee dance with one another, and we dance and laugh in sync before I turn to face Todd. I wiggle my eyebrows, a silent invitation for him to come join us, but he only shakes his head. Steff and Lee soon join my plea by chanting Todd's name, and soon I can read embarrassment in his Noise to match the blush that's coming up on his cheeks. But he still doesn't budge, shaking his head no, and I can't say that I didn't expect it. Living in a safer world doesn't change who Todd is – he wouldn't have danced voluntarily regardless. I give him one last look before Bradley and 1017 walk up to greet him with welcoming hugs – instantly reminding me of my Noise – but still something keeps me from going over. Right now my Noise is bursting with happiness, being in the company of my best friends, dancing in the middle of a area that was once a _battle _ground. I figure that I could always find 1017 later on in the night, confront him with my questions about my Noise then, but as soon as I turn my back to their group, shutting my eyes and swaying to the music, I hear 1017 pose the question to Todd himself.

_**Has she figured out the origin of her Noise, yet? **_1017 asks Todd.

_**No, she hasn't. But she wants to. **_Todd says, his gaze falling back to me.

"Do you think that's what's best for her, right now?" Bradley asks, concern in his voice. "We aren't even two months out of the war, I don't want to bombard her with more troubles –" 

_**She really wants to, Bradley. **_Todd defends. _**We just don't kno who to go to. **_

_**Well, she's all the rage amongst the elder Spackle community. **_1017 informs. _**From what I've heard, this isn't the first time a woman has had Noise on this planet. They say that it's rare, but possible. **_

_**Are yer sayin that's who we need to go to? **_Todd asks.

_**It's probably the closest thing you'll get to an answer. **_1017 says. _**But it looks like she's doing great, with or without knowing. **_

The boys halt their discussion to turn and stare at me, which makes me feel self-conscious enough to stop dancing and turn to face them, also. Curiosity fills my Noise at the prospect of another woman _also _having Noise. If that were true, even if it was just _one _other person, it would give me all of the information I needed, answer all of the questions that burned through my mind ever since the war ended. With a newfound determination, I begin to march over to them, ready to see the elder Spackle and _finally _learn the truth –

Until someone grips onto the end of my jacket sleeve, forcefully pulling me back.

"Hey! Aren't you the magical girl with Noise?"

At first I'm stunned, whipping around to meet my new company though no one appears to be behind me. But after shifting my gaze downward, I am met with the wide, astonished eyes of a child. She stares at me admirably and I let out a sigh of relief – for some reason I thought it would have been Mona. Seeing no harm in speaking with her, I crouch down to meet the girl at eye level.

"Um, yes? But you can just call me Viola." I say to her, smiling. "What's your name?"

But the little girl doesn't answer my question, and instead turns to yell out towards the rest of the camp. "Hey everyone, look! I found the girl with Noise!"

Soon, everyone's eyes fall to me, excited whispers and even some chants coming from the crowd. My cheeks blush, and my mind wrestles with the feeling of both embarrassment and flattery. Having Noise wasn't much of an accomplishment – other than what it did for us in the war. But with everyone staring at me as if they expect a speech or some kind of demonstration, I choose to keep those thoughts to myself.

Except for Todd, who easily reads the slight panic in my Noise. He steps away from Bradley and 1017 before hurriedly taking his place at my side.

_**They're all watching me. **_I say to Todd with my Noise, concealing my thoughts to everyone else.

_**I kno… but this wouldn't be the first time. They've always looked up to yer, Viola. **_

I swallow, knowing that he's right –

We've always been the leader of the community –

So not only do I owe an explanation about my Noise to _myself – _

But I owe it to them, too.

Though tonight, our community doesn't seem interested in explanations, as they surround Todd and I with wonder and amusement in their eyes. We step closer together before the people begin to make their requests known –

"Is it true that you two created an explosion with your Noise?"

"Is Todd really the only one who can read your thoughts, Viola?" 

"Can you two really create LIGHT in the palm of your hands?" 

Todd's Noise becomes overwhelmed by the questions, but mine revels in the attention. We didn't have all of the answers, but we did have the ability to give them _something. _I look to Todd who instantly looks back, his eyes searching mine before I pose an idea through my Noise.

_**We should just show them, right? **_

Todd's Noise is hesitant, but we're surrounded by people now, and likely wouldn't be let through until we gave them something to see. So instead of answering my question, Todd gives me a small smile, grabs my hand, and calls to his Noise.

I do the same, stirring up our power until a white light shines between our palms. It's even brighter than the bonfire behind us, and the crowd goes quiet for a moment before erupting in cheers. Todd and I look to each other before smiling ourselves –

_**Should we show em some more? **_He asks me, his Noise excited, and I can't help but to agree.

_**Why not? **_

Todd and I let go of each other's hands before asking the crowd to back up – and they do so, happily. I see Todd's idea in his Noise, going back to the snowball fight we once had, and my Noise grows with excitement at the prospect of doing it again, this time for the amusement of our settlers. Todd reaches into the snow to form his own snowball while I do the same, backing up some before tauting him in my Noise –

_**Try not to lose this time in front of our people, Todd. **_

He only grins mischievously before letting his snowball loose.

It flies into the air at full speed, a glow of light trailing behind it, and the sight causes the settlers to scream. But I quickly react by sending a surge of light towards the snowball, causing it to explode into a flurry of snow once my light makes contact with it. The settlers cheer, lifting their hands to catch the small pieces of snow, and Todd lets out an actual laugh at their reaction before doing the same thing over again. We continue on like that, Todd throwing a powerful ball of snow, and me hitting it with Noise, spraying the settlers as they dance and laugh underneath our own little snowstorm.

_**See? This is better than dancin. **_Todd says to me through his Noise, and I laugh.

_**I'll let it slide, for now. **_I tell him. _**Grand finale?**_

I see Todd shake his head in agreement, but as soon as he readies himself to throw another snowball, we're interrupted by a loud voice calling towards us.

"There! They're over there!"

Todd and I instantly stop our demonstration, watching as the crowd parts to let Mona and an older Spackle walk through. She's got a wide, crazed smile on her face, nearly running towards us, and Todd quickly steps to my side as she runs up. The older Spackle stays behind, a less enthused expression on her face.

"Todd, Viola." She says, smiling. "I'm so sorry to interrupt but – "

"Wut's goin on, Mona?" Todd asks, impatience in his tone.

"I have someone I'd like for you to meet." She says, gesturing to the older looking spackle woman. "She's very interested in learning more about your Noise –"

But I'm not as convinced, getting my own glimpse of the female Spackle, who looks mad, irritated. She's successfully hiding her Noise from us, but I've learned to read people's faces, know how they feel just based on their eyes.

And there's no denying that she is unhappy with us.

_**It's nice to see you're having fun with your Noise. **_She finally says to us. _**But if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to have a little word with you both. To inform you of just how much **_**fun **_**it can be. **_

Todd and I do not miss the sarcasm in her Noise.

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for your wonderful reviews – I appreciate you SO MUCH. With all the crazy things going on in the world, you all have lifted my mood tremendously. I hope you guys know how loved you are, and that you're all taking care good cares of yourselves! Read good books, watch fun movies. Or read the next chapter to this story – I'm going to have it up by tomorrow!**

**And before I forget… CAN WE ALL JUST RAVE ABOUT THE FACT THAT THE CHAOS WALKING MOVIE WILL COME OUT JANUARY 21, 2021? It seems like a long time from now, but it will go by SO fast. I seriously can't wait! **


	38. Chapter 38

[Todd]

"Are one of yer gonna tell us wut this is about?"

It's the third time I have to ask this question without gettin an answer from Mona or the female Spackle, and I don't kno whether to be irritated or afraid or both.

But all Viola seems to be is nervous. Her Noise is swarmin with all kinds of questions and she's worryin her bottom lip, walkin next to me as we follow Ben, Mona, and the female Spackle. I already kno it's because of wut she may find out about her Noise – about the other woman they said had it, too.

"If yer worried then I'm gonna be worried." I say to her in a whisper.

"You saw how unhappy she looked." Viola is quick to respond, like she was waitin for me to say somethin. "I should've known that was a bad idea-"

I don't let her finish, stopping her before she starts to panic. "It ain't yer fault that you got Noise, Viola."

But she only sighs. "I didn't have to _flaunt _it in front of everyone, though."

"You weren't. They all wanted to see about yer Noise, and we showed em." I say.

"But it could've frightened some people, too. Gosh, why didn't I think of that." She presses the heel of her palm to her forehead, guilt swarmin around in her Noise.

"Viola." I say to her, lookin at her face, every feature shadowed except for her eyes in the moonlight. "This is a planet with Noise. If they haven't accepted it by now, that's their fault. Not yers."

She looks at me now, and I can tell that she wants to believe it what I'm sayin.

"But they aren't used to a _woman _having Noise. Especially not the female Spackle-"

"And?" I say, a little irritated, but only at the situation, not at her. "She ain't the Noise police."

_**I can hear everything you're saying back there, Todd Hewitt. **_The female Spackle says without turnin around.

"Apparently not." I'm quick to respond. "I've been askin yer wut this is about nearly ten times and yer haven't responded."

_**That doesn't mean I didn't hear you. **_She says.

I let out a sarcastic laugh. "So then yer ignoring us."

Viola grabs onto my forearm, tuggin just a little as if to tell me "don't push it."

_**We're almost there, just be patient. **_Ben tells us.

I only shake my head in disapproval – why did we have to walk all the way back to the Spackle community just to have a conversation? Matter fact, why did we even need to have a conversation at all? Even tho I agreed to Viola finding out more about her Noise, it didn't have to be like _this, _with a crazy scientist lady and a bitter old Spackle. The whole thing just seemed dramatic – and it's got Viola all worried for no reason. It ain't too bad, but her Noise is panicked, the most it's been since the end of the war.

And if there's one thing I promised to her –

Promised to myself, even –

Was that neither one of us wud meet that same chaos again.

But at least we've finally reached the Spackle community, followin behind Mona and the female Spackle into one of the tents – which is taller and wider than even the house me and Viola just got. There's a table that's low to the ground in the center, little cushions sittin around it for seats, and papers with Mona's crazy handwritin strewn across the dirt ground.

_**Make yourselves comfortable. **_The female spackle says, pointin to the table while she takes a seat in the Spackle made chair. Viola and Ben and Mona sit down, but I'm hesitant to.

"Can't yer just tell us wut this is about? Ain't no need in gettin comfortable when we're-"

"Todd." Viola says, her voice on the edge of irritation. "Just sit down, please."

I only do it for Viola's sake, cuz I kno how much learnin about her Noise means to her, and I promised her that I'd help find out. But I don't put forth the effort to hide my Noise from the female Spackle, either.

Before I can fully sit down beside Viola, she's already startin up the conversation.

"I'm really sorry if what we did at the festival was offensive." She says to the female Spackle. "We were just trying to show the community what our Noise could do."

_**No need to apologize. **_The female Spackle says. _**It is what saved us all from the war, after all. **_

"So wut's the big fuss about us usin our Noise, then?" I ask, earnin a pointed look from Viola, but one of agreement from Ben.

_**There is no… **_**big fuss. **She says, kinda cringin when she repeats my Prentisstown slang. _**I just want to make sure you two know what you're getting yourselves into. **_

_**So what you're saying is that you have information about Viola's Noise? **_Ben asks right away.

She nods. _**Viola Eade is not the first female human to have Noise. **_

I hear Viola take a sharp breath, but she don't speak. So instead, I ask her question for her.

"Who was she?"

Disappointment filled the older Spackle's Noise. _**I'm afraid I don't have an exact answer to that – she never shared her name with us. We only knew her for a brief time. **_

"Are yer serious?" I say. "You got us all worked up just to tell us you don't kno where Viola's Noise comes from-"

"Well, what _do_ you know about her?" Viola interrupts, her voice desperate.

The older Spackle cut her eye towards me before continuing. _**About ten years ago, there was a woman who came into our community, dirty and scared and frantic. We thought she'd come to kill us all – back then, your kind and ours were still separated by fear. But we could tell that she wasn't afraid of us, that she didn't intend to harm any Spackle. She simply just wanted help. **_

_**From who? From what? **_Ben asks, scooting closer to the edge of his seat.

_**An attack on her home city. **_The female Spackle says.

And this time, I'm the one to takes a sharp breath –

And me and Ben look to each other –

And we got the same idea poppin up in our Noise –

The Mayor's first attack on Prentisstown.

"Did she say where she was from?" I ask, but not sure if I really want to kno.

_**She never told us. Only that the women in her city were being attacked, taken, and killed. She was almost killed herself, but she found her way out, fleeing into the woods, running until she made it to us. She begged to stay in our community, promising she'd carry her weight. And she held true to that promise, for the little time she was with us. **_

"And what happened to her after that?" Viola asks, just as curious as me and Ben.

_**She stayed for an entire month, learning about our culture, asking us questions about Noise, until a man from the same city showed up. They knew each other, but were not very close, though they eventually grew to be. In addition to learning about our kind, they planned a rebellion against their home together. **_

"That still don't tell us how she got Noise." I say.

_**She got it from the man she was with. **_The older Spackle tells me. _**They were so determined to save the women, the children, the Spackle, even. But not only was their connection to the Land strong, but their connection to each other. Their love for one another made them strong – just as strong as you two, if not stronger. **_

I look to Viola and she looks to me, and we stare at each other for a while, until we look down at our hands, a small glow shining between our palms. It didn't seem possible that someone else cud have wut we did –

But in this New World –

Anything seemed to be possible.

"Obviously they weren't able to use their Noise to save the women – the mayor killed them all anyways." Viola says, her voice waverin.

The older Spackle's Noise fills up with regret. _**That's because there was an attack on our community before they could go back. The pair attempted to defend us, using their Noise to do so. But instead of saving our community, they destroyed it. There were explosions, and fires, and most of our community was killed. Only I and a few others survived. We had to move closer to Haven, join with a new group of Spackle. Restart our lives, **_**again, **_**because of your kind. **_

Viola tenses up at the bitterness in her voice, and even I have to fight the churning that's goin on in my stomach. Viola and I created an explosion with our Noise once – back when we fought Eric and his army. Even tho it was an accident, it still could've been deadly. We couldn't even be next to each other without causin destruction – had we not learned to control our Noise, we both would've been dead by now.

"I'm – I'm so sorry that happened to you." Viola says, a tear escapin onto her cheek.

But even tho I feel just as remorseful, I'm still determined to defend ourselves, to prove that our Noise ain't nothin to be afraid of.

"It's probably cuz they didn't kno how to control it." I say, tryin to convince myself it's true. "But me and Viola kno how to – we ain't reckless with it."

But the older Spackle only shakes her head. _**They said the same thing, Todd. But eventually, over time, their Noise became too powerful with one another. The connection to the Land – it is **_**strong. **_**When a pair shares that kind of bond, when they love one another immensely, when they share the same values and desires, it can surpass their own control. And that is exactly what happened to the couple in our community. But not only did they destroy our own community – they destroyed each other, too. **_

Viola's Noise freezes completely, and I gotta turn my head to her, makin sure she's still there. A terrified look is written on her face, and it seems like she hasn't blinked in forever.

"Viola?" I ask.

_**What do you mean, they destroyed one another? **_Ben asks.

The older Spackle looks to Mona, who sat at her side, scribbling things down in her notebook. It's obvious that the two have been workin together, which makes me feel unsettled.

_**The Noise – it killed the girl. **_The female Spackle says.

I tear my eyes away from Viola, and it takes everything in me not to shoot a burst of Noise her way, talkin crazy like that in front of Viola.

"No it didn't!" I say. "Yer only sayin that to scare Viola-"

_**I'm saying it for her own good. For her own safety, for your people's safety. **_The older Spackle says, all quiet and calm, not even realizin how her words have just rocked Viola's entire world.

"Todd." Viola finally speaks, givin my hand a squeeze. "It's… it's okay."

Before I can protest, she turns back to the female Spackle. "It's unfortunate, what happened to your community because of that couple's Noise, but my connection to Todd will not kill me, or anyone else. It's what saved me, saved our people, saved _you, _even."

That ain't wut I expected her to say, and I gotta bite back a laugh at the look on the older Spackle's face.

_**It will if you're not careful. **_She tries to insist.

"So what do you recommend we do, then?" Viola says, her words passionate. "Stay away from each other? Because if that's your idea, it's a bad one. Me and Todd have worked too hard-"

But Viola stops herself before goin on a real rant, shakin her head and standin up from the cushion, pullin me up with her.

"Wut are yer doin?" I ask her.

"We're leaving." She says. "Ben, are you ready?"

_**Do you not want to hear the rest of what she has to say? **_Ben asks, even tho he gets up to.

"No, I don't." Viola says, lookin back to Mona and the Spackle. "I don't mean any disrespect, but Todd and I are not afraid of our Noise, and you shouldn't be either. If we ever get out of control with our Noise, we'll let someone know. But for now – we aren't worried. So, if you'll excuse us."

And just like that, Viola is done with the conversation and is stompin out the tent before it can continue. Ben and I just look to each other and shrug, but before we can follow her, the Spackle speaks up.

_**I do hope you'll consider my point of view. **_The female Spackle says to me. _**I've seen the dangers of what this connection can do. It isn't that I don't trust you two, but if more couples learn about it from you and adopt it without the proper training, it could be dangerous. Noise, though beautiful, can also be a powerful weapon. **_

I can't act like her words don't sway me a bit, like the idea of more people havin our Noise wasn't a threat. But me and Viola's connection was special, not just any old couple cud create it, so the idea of more people gettin our kind of connection wasn't one that bothered me.

"Thank yer for tellin us all of wut you kno." I tell her. "But I think we're alright right now."

And as I walk out with my father, I really do believe that.

Despite the confusing feelings swarmin around in my Noise.

…

"No way! Yer cheatin!" I shout to Hildy, who's sittin next to me with one card left in her hand. It's the day after the festival and we're playin one of Vioa's card games on the floor in our livin room, me and Lee and Steff and Bradley and Ben. Everyone laughs when Hildy playfully swats me on the arm.

"Now yer kno me as a lotta things, Todd pup, but I ain't no cheater." She says.

"You cud have easily looked over at my cards." I say, liftin them up for emphasis.

"You're just mad because you haven't won yet, Todd." Steff says, givin me a sarcastic look like she wud Viola.

"That ain't true." I say to defend myself, even tho it is. We've been playin this game for hours now and everyone has won at least once, except for me. If Viola were here it wud be even worse – she wins this game so much she'd probably gotten bored of playin it. It's probably why she's been at the house of healing all day instead of at our little game night. Mistress Lawson told her that she needed some help with a couple of kids, and of course, she wouldn't be Viola if she didn't agree to help. But she said she'd be home before sundown, and it ain't until I look out the window for the millionth time that I realize it's the reason I keep losin the game, cuz in the back of my mind, I'm just thinkin about Viola, my Noise excited for her to finally get home.

"The game isn't over until Hildy has zero cards left, Todd." Lee says from my other side. "So you still have a chance to win. Haven't you been paying attention to the rules?"

"No, he hasn't." Steff interjects. "He's too busy thinking about _Viola._"

Everyone laughs, including me.

"Says the girl with twenty cards in her hand." I joke back, pointin to the cards she's gotta hold with both hands.

"At least I've won at least once!" she shouts.

But before I can say anything else, the front door opens.

"Who's making all of this ruddy Noise in my house?!" Viola says, smiling at the sight of all of her friends once she enters the living room.

"Your fiancé being a _sore loser._" Steff teases, dropping her cards onto the ground.

"That ain't true." I say, craning my neck upwards to see her face. "They're all cheating."

Viola kicks off her boots before plopping down next to me on the floor. She sets her arm on my shoulder, leans in to look at my cards.

"Todd. You do realize that you have _Noise _that's different from everyone could just read their cards that way." She says.

"So is that what you've been doing this whole time?" Bradley questions her.

But Viola only shrugs. "A great player doesn't reveal her secrets."

Steff gives her a mischievous grin. "I'm actually quite proud of you for that, Viola Eade. Who knew you had it in you."

"Well, I'm never playing a card game with her again." Bradley says, throwing his cards down.

"Don't get hurt about it, Bradley." Viola says to him. "I beat you at every game back on the scout ship, before either one of us knew about Noise."

Bradly narrowed his eyes while everyone laughed at him. "I thought we agreed that what happened on the ship, stayed on the ship."

"Did we?" Viola says, furrowing her eyebrows and feigning confusion. "I must have forgotten."

"Well, if that's the case." I chime in. "I wanna kno all the embarrassing stories about Viola. It wud only be fair, since she got a glimpse of me dancin as a little kid the other day."

"Oh." Bradley scoffs. "I've got _plenty _of those."

"So do I!" Steff says, all too eager to share.

"Alright, that's enough!" Viola says, stopping them before they cud continue. "I think it's time for all to go, now."

"Oh, come _on _Vi. There's still time to share at least one story."

"Yeah." I say. "For once, I'll agree with Steff."

"I think I'm actually going to head out." Lee says, the first of the group to stand up. "I have to be up early tomorrow to finish up a couple other houses. But this was fun – I'll be looking forward to hearing all the embarrassing stories next time."

Viola smiles before standin up. "Well, thanks for saving me, Lee. I'll walk you out."

"On second thought – I think I'm going to head out, too." Steff says, shooting up from her seat on the floor. "Walk me back, Lee?"

Viola immediately looks to me, raising a suggestive eyebrow at how eager Steff is to leave with Lee. His Noise gets all warm, and everyone in the room notices it.

"Uh, yeah. Of course." He says.

"Great! Let's go." She says, grabbin onto his writs and pullin him to the front door. "Don't worry, I'll just tell you all of Viola's stories on the way."

She winked at Viola, but she only laughed back. "Have fun, you two."

_**Think I'm going to leave, too. **_Ben says, Bradley and Hildy getting up to join him. _**You kids wear me out with these hangouts more than you did in the war. **_

"We're getting old, I guess." Bradley said, clapping him on the back. "First they can barely talk or walk. Now they're beating us in card games and getting _married."_

"Alright, alright." I say, pushin Ben towards the door, Bradley and Viola followin. "Think it's time you both go before yer start to cry."

_**Don't worry, we're going. **_Ben says, openin the door.

"Don't be late getting up in the morning." Bradley says to us both. "We still have work to finish."

"Don't scold em." Hildy says. "They've done enuf fer us – matter fact, let em have the day off!"

"We appreciate that, Hildy." Viola says while givin her a hug goodbye. "But we don't need a day off. We're always happy to help."

Hildy nods, "As long as yer takin care of yerselves."

Hildy heads out next, but Bradley lingers in the doorway.

"Speaking of taking care of yourselves – how have you two been? Since getting more information about Viola's Noise?"

I don't feel too right answering – if anything, it's Viola's business to tell.

"We're alright." She tells him, soundin like she means it. "The older Spackle didn't tell us anything we didn't already know."

I can tell that Viola only says it to get him off her case, and it seems to work, because he nods his head in agreement.

"Alright. Well if anything changes, or if you two need me for something, don't hesitate to ask."

"Will do." I say. Bradley leaves, just me and Viola standin with each other now.

"I see you're enjoying having company over." She says, smiling, raising an eyebrow.

"They like all of yer games." I say, smiling back. "Plus, it's the first time things have been normal for us all in a while."

"Well, if it makes them happy, they can come over every single day." She says. "If anyone deserves this, our friends do."

"It's too bad Mistress Lawson couldn't come." I say.

"She wanted to, but the house of healing is swamped right now. Things are better but the Snowscape still hasn't stopped – which is why so many people are getting sick. I'm probably going to be there helping everyday now."

"Are yer gonna need any help?" I ask her, but she only shakes her head no.

"That's nice of you, Todd, but your track record with healing isn't the best…"

I tilt my head to the side, give her a look. "So first yer come for my card playin skills, and now my healin skills."

"I don't mean it like that, Todd! But they need you helping with the houses. Plus, I like working there by myself. Gives me times to just… think a little bit."

I kno wut she means, and I nod my head to show her. "Well, if you ever do need the help, you kno I'm here."

And she smiles that smile before sayin, "I know, Todd. Thank you."

I grab her hands, pull her in towards me before kissing her cheek. But when I pull back, there's another knock on the door. When my Noise starts up with confusion, Viola doesn't hesitate to comment. "One of our friends probably just forgot something."

But when Viola reaches to open up the door – it's Mona standin in the doorway.

"Viola!" She shouts, shakin cuz of the cold. "Sorry to come by so late-"

"Mona." Viola says. "What are you doing out here, in the cold?"

"I'm not here to bother you about your Noise, again. Well, I sort of am."

Viola sighs, trying to keep her cool. "I thought we agreed that we weren't discussing it anymore?"

"And we aren't." Mona is quick to say. "I just had something I wanted to give to you and Todd."

Mona stretches out her hand, offering Viola a worn out journal. "It's something the older Spackle has held on to since she met the couple with Noise like yours. It's full of their stories and experiences from that time. If either of you would like to read it, just in case you change your mind about Noise, it'll all be here, at your disposal."

Viola is reluctant to take the notebook, but when she does, Mona instantly runs off, before we can ask her anymore questions.

I shut the door while Viola walks in slowly, starin at the journal like it's gonna explode or soemthin.

"Wut is it?" I ask. She turns around, faces me.

"I don't know if we should read it or not." She admits. "Of course, I don't believe our Noise is dangerous. But it could give us some insight, at least. Answer some questions the older Spackle couldn't provide."

I gotta fight the urge to take the journal from Viola's hands and toss it straight out the window. The older Spackle already scared her yesterday, and I didn't want any more crazy ideas gettin to her head. But even tho Viola was hesitant, I knew it's wut she wanted, cud hear it in her Noise nearly every day and night.

"Wouldn't be any harm in just readin it, right?" I tell her, steppin closer. "Supposedly the woman had Noise. Her opinion might be more trustworthy than the Spackle, anyways."

Viola nods before smilin, then looks down at the book. She opens it to the first page, all wrinkled and dirty and stained, and she lets out a little gasp at what she sees.

"Yer couldn't of read somethin bad that fast." I say, laughin at my own joke. But she don't join in.

"Todd…. Look."

Her Noise is alarmed, enough for mine to be, too. I lean into her side, not able to really read what the words say, but recognize the handwritin right away.

Handwritin I been readin since all of this started –

Handwritin that wrote the words that brought me back to life –

My mother's.

Author's Note: I feel like this chapter is a bit messy – if I was inconsistent with any of the rules with Noise/something doesn't make sense, let me know! Hope you're all safe and going well!


	39. Chapter 39

{Viola}

"Have you eaten yet?" Todd asks me.

I blink twice before switching my gaze between the journal and Todd's face. He's grinning, watching me casually. Not the reaction I expected.

"Umm, not really?" I say, confused. "Todd, do you not see-"

"Are yer sure?" He interrupts me. "Cuz Ben brought over a lot of food."

He doesn't wait for me to respond, just walks into the kitchen. It doesn't take long to realize that he's trying to avoid this conversation -

Trying to avoid the possibility that this is his mother's journal –

That she may have been the first women with Noise.

"Todd." I say softly, following behind him.

"Viola." He responds, stopping at the table to reach into the basket full of food. I stand next to him, gently take hold of his wrist.

"I can tell that you're trying to avoid this. And it's not just because I can hear your Noise saying, 'Please just avoid this.'"

Todd looks down, gathers his thoughts before bringing his gaze back to me.

"She ain't the one who wrote it." He admits, careful not to give a name for who "she" is. "It cud have been anyone with a journal like that."

I let go of his wrist and remind myself to go easy on him – his mother had always been a sensitive subject. "Yes… that's true." I say, my voice trailing.

But Todd knows I've got more to say. He considers me for a moment, watches as I drop my eyes, flip the journal around in my hands.

"But?" He prompts, already reading the thoughts in my Noise, just wanting to hear me say them.

"I mean, compared to the original, this looks _just _like her handwriting." I admit.

Todd shrugs, then begins to sort through the food. "Anyone cud have good handwriting like that, tho. You have good handwriting like that. Doesn't mean you wrote it."

"Well, yeah." I say, absently watching as Todd organized the food by category – bread in one spot, vegetables in another. "It would have been impossible for me to have written it."

"And it's impossible that my ma wrote it, too." Todd says. "Ben told me that she died during the mayor's attack, just a couple of months after I was born. So it definitely wasn't her."

"That's true." I say, cautiously. "But the older Spackle said that she'd escaped the attack, that she ran away for help. You don't think it was possible that she made it out-"

"But that wud mean she was _alive, _Viola. Alive and alone for years while I was thinkin she was dead."

Todd's Noise is rattling with feelings I can't quite make out – fear and sadness and doubt and confusion. He begins to furiously put the food back into the basket as a result, and I realize that he'd only done it as a distraction, a way to keep his mind from revisiting the one thing that hurt him the most. It is then that I decide this conversation isn't worth getting Todd getting worked up over, not worth disturbing his peace.

"I can put everything away, Todd." I say, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you go lie down? We have to be up early, anyways."

He pauses, looks up at me, and instantly reads the concern in my Noise. At this point it isn't even necessary for us to speak to one another – we can read every single thing the other is thinking and feeling, anyways.

"You don't have to do that, Viola." He says.

I blink, pretend I don't know what he's talking about. "Do what?"

He tilts his head, gives me a look. "You kno I can see everything in yer Noise, right? Yer worried that this is gonna affect me, or somethin."

Now it's my turn to give him a look – I may have wanted to protect Todd, but we've always been honest with each other.

"And _you _know I can see everything in yours too, right?" When he doesn't answer, I do so for him. "It's written all over your Noise, Todd. And I get it, this kind of thing is scary. If I found out something about my parents that wasn't the truth I'd grown up to know, I'd be upset too-"

"But it ain't different than wut I grew up knowin." Todd says. "My ma didn't make it out of Prentisstown, and she didn't have no Noise, and she didn't live in a spackle community while I grew up thinkin she was dead."

This time, it isn't his Noise that makes me stop, but the look on his face, the look in his eyes. His Noise is a mixture of hurt and brokenness and emptiness, and it's apparent that Todd doesn't want to relive his mother's death again. It would be cruel of me, to force him into re-learning his mother's past, only to mentally rebury her in a different way. No matter what I wanted to know about my Noise – I could not do that to Todd. If, or when, he was ready to face the possibility, I would do so with him.

But for now –

It isn't worth disrupting his peace –

It isn't worth dismantling his entire world –

I place the journal face down onto the table.

"Okay. You're right." I say, guilt swarming in my Noise. "I'm sorry for even suggesting that, Todd. I should have known it was insensitive-"

But Todd is quick to disagree.

"Hey, Viola." He says gently. "Yer don't have to apologize, not at all. Anyone who read her first journal wud probably assume that."

I search his face, wondering if he's just saying that, or if he actually means it.

"I actually mean it." He answers for me, and I laugh a little.

"You being okay is my first priority." I tell him.

"And yer being happy is mine." He tells me. "I'll be alright, Viola. It ain't hers, so it makes no difference to me."

I nod, even though the possibility of it being his mother's journal is still on my mind.

But if that is what Todd finds peace in –

I'll let him sit with it -

Even if it compromises my own –

But Todd doesn't allow that as an option for me, either.

"You shud still read it, Viola." Todd says. "Wut you wanna kno might still be in there."

It's tempting for me to just agree, to pick up the journal and flip through the pages and learn everything about this Noise that only one other woman knew about. But something was still keeping me from doing that, despite Todd's insistence. It didn't feel right to read through the journal in his presence, didn't feel right to read it with the belief that it was his mother's –

I shake my head no.

"Eh, it seems like a lot to go through in just one night." I lie – trying my best to hide it in my Noise. "Maybe I'll look at it tomorrow."

And Todd doesn't press the issue, and I don't bring it up again, and we don't talk about it for the rest of the night.

But the idea of reading the journal doesn't leave my Noise until dawn.

….

"Viola Eade." Mistress Lawson's voice cut through my thoughts. "You aren't any help to us today if you're just going to read, rather than doing your job."

I instantly shut the journal in my lap, look up to witness her disapproving glare.

"Oh, um, I'm sorry." I manage to say, standing up from my chair beside the window in the upstairs hallway, hiding the book behind my back. "I just came upstairs for a break. I didn't realize how much time had passed."

Mistress Lawson squints her eyes, not believing me. "What is really going on, Viola? Usually you're more attentive."

"Nothing." I say, trying to sound convincing. "I'm heading back to work right now. It won't happen again."

I step around Mistress Lawson, and as expected, she blocks my path, a serious look on her face. "Viola – you know that, as a healer, you have to be fully available to your patients, provide the clarity and comfortability that they lack in their time of need. If you can't do that today, feel free to go home, to rest, until you're better."

But I only shake my head. "I'm fine, Mistress Lawson. I've helped patients under much more stress."

"That was when we had no other choice." She's quick to remind me. "But you have a choice now, Viola, to take care of yourself."

It's a tempting offer to accept – if Mistress Lawson let me go home early, I'd be able to read more of the journal before Todd came home. So far the entries didn't explain much, other than what I already knew about Prentisstown, per Todd and Ben. I thought about skipping to the middle but didn't want to miss anything important. So, for the past two hours, I'd just been reading her backstory, her hopes for life on New World, what she wished to fulfill. There was no mention of a child she'd left behind, which made me less convinced that it was Todd's mother's journal. But she could have easily omitted that information for his safety, to keep him protected, in case she lost the journal. He would have been in even more danger, if the mayor found out he was the child of the only woman with Noise.

The thought was a stretch, but not impossible.

I figure that taking one day off, just to read, wouldn't be bad. But just before I can say this to Mistress Lawson, Steff Taylor barges out of one of the rooms, her eyes rimmed with red, hair all over her head, and she was out of breath.

"Viola! There you are." She says, letting out a sigh of relief. "They're killing me in there!"

She points back to the room, where I could hear a few children crying.

"What's wrong?" I ask her.

"Nothing I do is enough for them. Every time I try to give them their medicine, or take their temperature, or ANYTHING, they shout at me, bite me, pull on my hair! All I'm trying to do is _help _the little brats-"

"Steff." I say, grabbing her shoulders. "First, you need to relax."

She blinks twice before taking a dramatic deep breath.

"Second – they're so upset with you because of the way you're treating them." I tell her. "Not everybody here can handle your…"

Steff furrows her eyebrows while I search for words that wouldn't be so offensive to her personality.

"My _what, _Viola?"

"You just have a very colorful personality." I decide to say. "You have to be more nurturing with them. They're just children."

Steff groans before pouting her lip. "Can you just help me, Viola?"

My eyes widen before I look from Mistress Lawson to Steff. "I was just about to head out, actually-"

"Please?" Steff says, now begging. "I literally cannot be in there alone with those kids for another second!"

"Steff." I say calmly, opposite of how I really feel. "I can't hold your hand forever. You know what to do-"

"No I don't!" She nearly screams, shaking my shoulders.

"Viola is leaving for the day, Ms. Taylor." Mistress Lawson says. "I will help you with the children for the rest of the day."

Steff's eyes widen. "No! You're just going to yell at me the whole time!"

"It's fine." I finally give in, removing Steff's hands from my shoulders. "I'll stay and help."

"Thank GOD." Steff says.

"Are you sure?" Mistress Lawson.

I nod – no matter what, the community comes first, and there were things that needed my attention more than the book did, right now.

"I'm positive." I say, walking into the from before anyone could change their mind. "Come on, Steff. This is the _last _time you're getting extra help from me."

She smiles, nods her head eagerly. "That's fine with me!"

We spend the next three hours tending to the sick children; taking their temperatures, changing their blankets, bringing them juice, and the like. Steff wasn't exaggerating when she said they were a bit restless, but it wasn't anything the two of us couldn't manage together. It was actually a nice distraction from the whole Noise mystery, and while Steff and I stood in the kitchen, washing up after the long work-day, I felt grateful for the work I got to do for someone else. I hadn't even thought about my Noise, or the journal, since this afternoon –

Until I turn around from the sink, my hands dripping with water, to see Steff reading it.

"I don't remember your handwriting being this good, Viola." Steff says. She sat at the table, her feet propped up onto it, skimming over the pages of the journal. "Or your ability to write. These stories are really interesting –"

"Can you put that down, please?" I say, wiping my hands with a towel before swiping the journal from her hands. "These aren't just fictional stories, and the journal isn't mine."

Steff's eyebrows raise. "So who's is it?"

I bite my lower lip, tempted to tell her, despite the fact that it would be a bad idea. Not only does Steff have a tendency to run her mouth (she'd told Lee ALL of her embarrassing stories from the previous night) but I also didn't feel right, telling someone that the journal may have belonged to Todd's mom, without him knowing. _Especially, _when he already didn't believe it.

"Supposedly… it belonged to another woman with Noise." I say. "I've been reading it to get more information about mine."

"What?" Steff says, as if I just told her juicy gossip. "That's insane! Have you figured out anything new?"

I sit down beside her, shake my head. "I've only read the beginning of it. She talks a lot about her life on Earth, and what she first thought of New World. I haven't gotten to the Noise part yet."

"Well, what's taking you so long?" Steff says. "You need to read about it so you can tell _me _about it."

"That's what I was_ trying_ to do earlier." I say to her, a matter of fact. "Mistress Lawson was going to let me out of work early and I was going to use that time to read. That is, until _someone _got in the way of that." I tease.

"Well, you should have said that Viola. I would have sucked it up and let you go home!"

"And what would I have said in front of Mistress Lawson?" I ask. "I don't need her or anyone else worried about me and my Noise."

Steff nods understandingly before she gives me a questioning stare. "Wait… does Todd know you're reading it?"

I sigh. "He knows that I have it…. and that I'm _thinking _about reading it."

Steff considers me a moment, her eyes increasingly lighting up. "So basically… I know one of your secrets before Todd does?" Steff says, excitement in her tone. "I can't believe you trusted me with something before Todd!"

"Keep your voice down, Steff." I shush her. "You can't tell anyone I told you that."

"Why not?"

"Because! It's no one else's business."

It was the easiest excuse I could come up with. Between the older spackle, who already didn't trust me with my Noise, and Todd, who wanted nothing to do with the journal, I didn't want anyone else knowing about the whole ordeal. There was no point in making a big fuss about it before I even had the answers myself – and once I had them, I would tell Todd.

"Fine. I won't say anything." Steff says before getting up.

"Thank you." I tell her, letting out a sigh.

"You can't start keeping secrets from Todd, though." She says, getting up from the table.

I give her a questioning look. "I'm not keeping a secret from him. He knows I have the journal."

"But he doesn't know you're reading it."

I squint my eyes at Steff before joining at her side. "Like I said, it's not your business."

She puts her hands up in defense as we walk through the main hallway and to the front door. "Okay, okay. I won't say anything else."

For some reason I highly doubted this, but convinced myself that, in this one situation, Steff would be reliable.

We make our way outside, greeted by the cold air that by now, we are used to. "See you tomorrow, Steff." I say, prepared to part ways and open up the journal, but she reaches out and grabs my arm instead.

"What do you mean see you tomorrow? Aren't we hanging out tonight?"

Well, this was awkward, and I searched my mind for the easiest way to let her down easy. "Umm, no? We didn't make plans to hangout, Steff. We can tomorrow but-"

"Yes we did! At the beach, remember? Or did Todd not tell you?"

I furrow my eyebrows before thinking to myself, trying to remember if Todd had mentioned anything to me about the beach. He may have said something last night, or this morning, but I'd been too preoccupied with the journal and probably missed it.

"He may have said something." I finally say with a sigh, now realizing that if Todd _did _mention it, and I'd said yes, he was now expecting me to be there, thus meaning I had to go.

"Mhmm." Steff said, yanking me in the direction of the beach. "Like I said…. You two shouldn't have secrets."

….

It was already dark by the time we made it to the beach. Todd and Lee had a fire going, burning bright against the night sky, and they were in the middle of a very intense game of soccer. Todd looked like he had the upper hand against Lee, but once he detected my Noise, he stopped mid-game.

"Viola!" He shouts, excitement in his Noise, a smile on his face. "I think I finally found a game I can beat yer at!"

"I'm letting you win, Todd." Lee says, picking up the ball. "I felt bad about you losing the card game the other night and your ego needed a boost."

Todd smacks his lips before turning his gaze to Lee. "No way, Lee. You're being a sore loser."

Steff runs over to them excitedly while I throw my stuff onto the ground, careful to hide the journal underneath the blanket that is already laid out. While I'm getting all of my things situated, I speak to Todd through my Noise. _**You and Lee are getting closer, I see. **_

_**Hmm, and who was it that recommend I do that? **_Todd says back, and we share a smile through our Noise.

_**I think it's great. **_I say to him, standing up to watch the three of them kick the ball, but don't move. It's an amazing thing to watch, Todd and Lee and Steff just enjoying each other's company, and even though I'd much rather be reading the journal – I couldn't stand in the way of their peace. So I hide all of the emotions swirling in my Noise and join the group, a smile on my lips for good measure.

"You and me versus Steff and Lee?" I propose once I'm standing in front of Todd, but he only grins, shakes his head no.

"Boys against girls." Todd says. "I love you, Viola, but yer not gonna beat me at all yer Earth games."

I tilt my head at him, mouth gaping open in surprise. "You've gotten so ruddy competitive, Todd Hewitt."

He shrugs, but Steff speaks up next. "It's only a real competition if a prize is involved."

"Like what?" Lee asks. Now everyone is suddenly interested.

Steff thinks a moment, just before her eyes land on the dark water in front of us. "Loser has to jump in the water."

"Jump in?!" Todd says, shocked. "It's freezin cold out here!"

I want to agree – jumping into the ocean in the middle of the snowscape didn't seem like a good idea. But the competitive side of me suddenly takes over, and I can't help but to accept the challenge.

"That shouldn't matter if you win, right?" I tease Todd, and he's got to fight the smile creeping onto his lips.

"I only said that for your sake." He says. "You know, for when you lose."

"We'll see about that." I say, just before we separate into teams and get into the game.

It isn't easy playing against Todd and Lee, but with my Noise and Steff's athleticism, we manage to beat the boys. They're out of breath and soaked with sweat, despite the cold, and Steff can't help but to make fun of them.

"Ha! We beat you!" She exclaims, jumping up and down and pointing at their sunken faces.

"That's only because we were so tired from playing before you two got here." Lee says, hunched over, hands on his knees.

"Nope, I don't want to hear your excuses. Time to go wash off your shame in the ocean."

I wipe my forehead with the back of my hand before looking at Todd. "We won fair and square."

He nods before shuffling next to Lee, patting him on the back. "We'll get em next time." He assures them. "But a deal is a deal."

Steff and I walk behind Lee and Todd as they approach the cold water. I'm cringing just at the thought of them going in, but can't deny how much I want to see them, and even Todd's Noise is excited, excited that he can choose his kind of adventure, instead of being forced into a battle or fight or a war. They both remove their shirts, throwing them to us, before turning back to the waves.

"Go on three?" Lee asks timidly, and Todd nods.

"One, two, three!"

They both run into the water, screaming and laughing once they get in. Steff screams too, and I only shake my head at how silly the whole thing is.

"I ain't doin that again." Todd says once he's back. I laugh while handing him a towel.

"If you were on my team, you wouldn't have had to do that." I say, and he laughs before ruffling my hair.

"I should've known that, huh?"

"Hey, do you guys want marshmellows?!" Steff shouts. She and Lee were already over by the fire, preparing them even though we hadn't agreed.

Todd and I looked at each other. _**I don't want em. **_He tells me, hiding his Noise from Steff. _**I really don't like those things, and she always burns em. **_

I laugh at him before responding, _**Well, it's what you get, wanting to hang out with them every day. **_I tease.

_**Not every day. **_He's quick to defend. _**But it is nice, getting to make up for lost time. Yer kno? **_

And I do know, which is why I don't argue, don't complain, and march right back to the fire to join my friends.

But even after all the games and the laughs and the marsh mellows the journal is _still _on my mind. We've stayed at the beach much later than intended, and it is apparent that, with Todd sleeping next to me, wrapped up in the blanket, and Lee and Steff on a walk down the beach, we weren't going home anytime soon. I try to get comfortable next to Todd, his Noise happy and warm, but even that doesn't help. _Maybe I'll just read a page or two. _I tell myself.

And it's exactly what I do.

I slip the journal from underneath the blanket and quietly get up to sit on a rock just a few feet away from Todd. I turn to the page I'd left off on, skimming through the simple paragraphs talking about New World and Prentisstown and the mayor and her escape, until I finally read something that is interesting:

_Escaping the mayor's attack was never my intention. I always thought that I would die that day, thought that the mayor was going to kill all of the women, thought that I wouldn't make it. It's why I left my son with the only two people I could trust, because I knew they would take care of him when I was gone. But something was calling me towards the forest, something that I couldn't quite understand at the time - until now. Now, I knew I had a way to save the women. Now, I knew I had a way to save my Todd. _

_And despite my guilt for leaving them – _

_Despite the hurt I knew it would cause my child – _

_I ran. _

My Noise freezes after reading what I suspected all along – this _was _his mother's journal, she'd even used his name. It felt like such a betrayal, learning this information with Todd only a few feet away from me, and for a moment I consider closing it - closing it and never opening it again and pretending that this never happened. I was tired anyways, physically and mentally, after such a long day of working and reading and hanging out -

But my curiosity gets the better of me, and with heavy eyelids, I force myself to continue reading:

_When I made it to the Spackle community, I was sure they were going to kill me. Their only experience with humans was negative, and rightfully so, after the mayor convinced us all that they were dangerous and killed them off. I can't deny that I was afraid of them, too, but I was desperate. I needed the help. I begged them, pleaded with them, to take me in. It wasn't until I told them I had a son I'd left behind that they agreed. _

_We worked together for a long time, so long that I'd forgotten how much time had gone by. They taught me about their land, their Noise, and all of the beautiful things about New World that we were taught to despise. I thought about my son every day, wondering how he'd turned out to be, but I always had to force myself to stop. It hurt too much, imagining his life without me, imagining how hard it must have been for him to grow up in such a horrible place. I felt so guilty, so so guilty for enjoying my life while he was, most likely, struggling. That is –_

_Until Todd's father showed up at the spackle community. _

This time, I actually shut the journal, not just feeling, but _knowing, _this part was a complete invasion to Todd's privacy, a complete betrayal to his trust. Surely she wasn't talking about Ben and Cillian – if they'd found Todd's mother, they definitely would have told him.

This man she was referring to –

This man who shared Noise with her –

Had to have been Todd's _biological _father.

I wrestle with my Noise, as part of it wants me to keep reading, while the other part wants me to shut the journal closed, through it into the ocean, and mind my own ruddy business. Todd would be _so _furious to learn this, to learn that his life wasn't what he always thought, and as someone that he trusts I shouldn't ruin that.

But Todd was the one who encourage me to read the journal, encouraged me to learn about my Noise. It isn't as if I did anything wrong. Suggesting it was his mother's was one thing.

But _knowing _it was hers was another.

I get up before my brain commands me to, and walk towards Todd, who's already stirring awake. He can sense tension in my Noise and lifts up, the blankets wrapped up around his face. All I can see is his ruffled hair and tired eyes but it's all I have to see to know he's concerned.

"Viola?" He asks, his voice muffled underneath the blanket.

"Hey." I say to him gently, sitting down beside him. "Don't wake up so fast."

But he doesn't listen, just shrugs out of the blanket, sits up next to me.

"Wut's wrong?" He says, rubbing his eyes.

"Let yourself wake up first." I say to him.

"I am awake." He says, clears his throat, then grins. "Sorry I hogged all the covers."

I want to laugh, and even try to, but I can't.

"Todd." I say, soft but serious. "I – I need you to read this."

I hand him the journal, but he doesn't take it.

I can see in his Noise that he's afraid to.

"Why?" he asks, fear in his voice.

No use in sugar coating it. I take a deep breath.

"I went ahead and read it. I couldn't help not knowing. But I came across a few paragraphs…"

And I don't have to finish -

Because Todd already see's it in my Noise -

Everything I'd read about his mother –

Everyting I'd read about his father –

Todd goes still.

"I didn't keep reading after that part." I say, feeling the need to comfort him in some way. "I didn't feel right to without telling you, first. But Todd, it's, this has to be –"

"It was hers." Todd says, his eyes wet with tears, but his Noise isn't as sad as I expected it to be. "I mean, it's gotta be. She even mentioned my name –"

His words trail off but his thoughts are bouncing around everywhere in his Noise. Todd stares at the fire for a moment, doesn't even blink for a while, and I lean forward, trying to get his attention.

"Todd, I am so so sorry. I know you didn't want to learn about this, but I couldn't keep it from you. We can get rid of it right now if you want to –"

"For wut?" He asks me, looking to me this time. "This is the only way yer gonna learn about yer Noise."

"But... I mean... it's going to change everything for you. Everything you thought you knew about your mother, about Prentisstown-"

"That's okay, Viola. I'll… I'll get over it. You can't go yer whole life wondering just cuz of me." He says, sounding sure, but not as much as I'd like.

"Are you _sure _Todd?" I say. And he nods.

"Positive." He tells me, then smiles some before looking to the ocean. "To think… my own ma, and the life of my life, bein the only girls to have Noise. How lucky did I get?"

Todd nudges my shoulder before leaning over, kissing my cheek, and my Noise swarms with gratitude and happiness and love.

"I'm the lucky one." I tell him, really meaning it. "Thank you, Todd. I really didn't want to do this without you."

"You ain't ever gotta do it on yer own, Viola." He says. "I'm always here. As a matter of fact, I think we shud take everyone up on their offer about a day off. We've got a lot of readin to do."

A/N: Another chapter for you guys! Again, let me know if anything is confusing or repetitive – this one turned out longer than I expected. I gotta say, with everything going on in the world, it's pretty fun getting to read and write a little more. Now that I kinda know what direction this is going in I'll be posting a couple more chapters before the end of the week!

Stay safe and happy out there, friends!


	40. Chapter 40

[Todd]

"Wait.. can yer say that again?"

Viola stops readin, and I don't have to open my eyes to know that she's frowning.

"I've already read this part three times, Todd." She says. We're both laying on a blanket in the living room, Viola on her stomach, readin from the journal, while I lay next to her, facin the ceiling. I'm supposed to be listening, but I couldn't help falling in and out of sleep, and am pretty sure I missed the last three pages.

"I kno." I say, pretendin that I hadn't dosed off. "I just wanna make sure I heard you right."

When Viola doesn't respond I turn my head to look at her, and it's obvious that she don't believe me.

"You would have heard me if you weren't ruddy falling asleep." She says.

I blink, knowing there ain't no point in arguing with her. "I promise I'm payin attention. Mostly."

Viola puts the book down before turning onto her side, resting her head in her hand to look at me. "Why don't you just go to sleep? We can always read this later."

"We can't take a break if we're gonna get thru the whole thing." I tell her, rubbing my eyes.

"But what would be the point if you can't stay awake?" She says. "I'm not gonna read this whole thing over again."

"Give it to me, then." I say, reaching for the book. "If I read it out loud it'll help me stay awake."

Viola squints her eyes but hands me the book, anyways. "If so say so."

I turn over onto my stomach, laying there next to her, and open up the journal. "Uhh, wut page were we on?"

Viola gives me a look as if she was saying, "told you so."

"We're still on the part where your father shows up to the spackle community."

"Alright." I start, getting ready to read from the page. "Pay attention now, Viola." I tease her, and she swats my shoulder.

"You're one to talk! Go on, Todd."

I laugh before startin to read. "It didn't take long 'for me to recognize him, when my boy's father came runnin from the trees that evenin." I say, readin my ma's words. "And ain't nothin changed about him, even after all that time a part. It was shocking that he even recognized me. I didn't think the man even remembered my name, but he came runnin up to me anyways, his brown eyes big, his arms opened wide, a smile on his face. I didn't kno if I shud scream or run or both. Instead, I just stood there. Shocked as ever, until he wrapped his arms tight around me, spun me around in a circle. It took everything in me not to smile."

Viola's imagination is showin in her Noise as I read, and when I turn my head to look at her, she's got tears in her eyes. "Are yer cryin?" I say, half askin, half laughin.

She sniffles before givin me a warning look. "It's sweet!"

I furrow my eyebrows at her. "She just said that she didn't kno whether to run or scream. How is that sweet?"

"It's sweet because _eventually _she was happy to see him." Viola says, and I still don't really get it, but nod my head as if I do.

"I didn't kno you were so sappy, Viola." I laughed.

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, but her expression hadn't changed. "Just keep ruddy reading."

"Sure." I say. "I asked him wut he was doing here, and he said that he'd run away because the war had gotten worse. Women were bein killed left and right, men were bein forced into Mayor Prentiss's army, the Spackle race had nearly been wiped out. His plan was to take his mother and sister, who'd been hidin in their basement, as far from Prentisstown as he cud get em. But the Mayor had caught on to what they were doin, shot em both dead in the middle of the woods…"

Now my eyes were filling with tears, the words getting stuck in my throat.

"You want me to read this part?" Viola asks after noticing. I shake my head.

"No, it's okay." I say, then get ready to keep readin, despite the emotions it's bringing up. "He knew that goin back wud do no good, and even tho it was the hardest decision he'd ever made, he ran away from them, ran until he couldn't run any longer. That's when he found me."

"I introduced him to the Spackle, who were hesitant at first, but they cud tell that his intentions were alright thru their Noise, knew that he cud be trusted. We stayed with them like that for a few months, learnin how to heal and and take care of the gardens and learned all about the spackle community. But never, not one time, did I mention my son, _our son, _to him-"

It shouldn't have surprised me as much as it did, but I stop readin anyways. Even Viola's perfect imaginations of the situation come to a halt.

"Todd-"

"He didn't even kno about me?"

"She might have an explanation as to why later on."

But my Noise was startin to rile up anyways, for reasons that I couldn't quite understand. Ben and Cillian were my fathers and I never wanted, nor needed, nobody else. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious about my real father. Where had he gone? Why hadn't he stuck around? I never bothered tryin to supply the answers myself –

But him not knowin about me had never crossed my mind.

"Why don't I read the rest?" Viola suggests.

"Sure." I tell her.

She clears her throat as I hand over the journal, then starts to read. "I never told him 'bout his son fer Todd's protection. What if he'd managed to go back for him? Tried to make us a real family? His father had always talked about havin one, whenever we got older. But how cud we do that in a world that hated women? Wanted us dead? Todd was best off without us. Without _me. _That was my plan from the beginning, even tho it was the hardest thing I've ever done. We cud never be a real family. But one day, when Todd grew to be old enough, he cud have one of his own-"

Viola looks over at me, her eyes askin if it's okay for her to keep readin. I nod my head yes, but there's no point in lyin to her - she can ruddy see all of the sadness and anger and hurt in my Noise. So she closes the book and looks at me like she always does, when she knows that something is wrong.

"She did it to protect you, Todd." She says. "It's not like she ran away because she didn't love you."

"She could've taken me with her." I look to the ground, tryin to hide my watery eyes from Viola. "It was safe in the Spackle community. They trusted her."

"But she didn't _kno _it wud be." Viola is still tryin to tell me. "And imagine if your father went back for you. The mayor would have killed you both." There's a pause for a moment before she continues her speech. "She found a way to protect you, and sacrificed everything to do that."

Viola has a point, and I can't argue her on it. Without my ma havin made that decision, I would've never had Ben or Cillian. Would've never met Viola. Would've never changed this ruddy planet to what it is, now.

"But you still have the right to be upset." Viola says, readin my Noise. "Anyone would be, in this situation."

Viola is thinkin that maybe we should stop readin. I don't even have to read her Noise, can tell by the way she's lookin at me, with her soft eyes. But I shake my head no to her unasked question. "We gotta keep readin."

"Not if it's going to upset you-"

"We can at least get to the part about their Noise." I say, a compromise. "That way yer get yer answers, too. This ain't about me, remember?"

Viola huffs out a sigh before noddin, then gets back to readin. "I still thought about my boy every single day. He had to of been four or five by now - wut kinds of things did he like to do? Wut made him laugh? Wut made him cry? I started to feel so guilty, cuz those are the things a mother is supposed to kno. But wut made it even worse was that his father and I, after spendin so many years together in that Spackle community, were fallin for each other all over again."

"I never told his father I was pregnant because I knew we'd never be a proper family. But now, seein how well we were doin in the Spackle community, I started to think, shud I have told him about his son? Shud we of tried to escape together? At the time I was too young to make a decision like that. But now, seein that we were getting closer and closer, it didn't feel right that Todd wasn't here with us. So, one night, I decided, that at the very least, I was gonna tell him about his son."

Viola took a deep breath. At first I thought she just needed a little break, but I cud tell that she was just nervous, thru her Noise. I didn't get a chance to ask her about it before she started readin again, "We were sitting in front of the fire, after everyone had already gone to sleep, when I just came right out and told him everything. He wasn't the sort of man to get really angry, but his Noise was outraged. He called me every name that he cud think of; selfish, unfair, cruel. So then I got angry, throwin whatever else I cud at him. It wasn't much of a conversation, just two people screaming over one another, until somethin _crazy _happened."

Viola stopped readin out loud. Her eyes were gettin ahead of her words, dartin across the page, tryin to consume as much as the story as possible. I try to read over her shoulder, until she finally gasps.

"Wut?" I ask her.

"They created an explosion with their Noise, too." She tells me. "Their arguing is what caused it."

I look over her shoulder to read the words myself, then furrow my eyebrows. "How come that don't happen between other couples, tho?"

"I mean, men and women were separated for such a long time, so there really weren't any couples." She says.

"But wut about Hildy and Tam? And Jane and Wilf? Those girls don't got Noise. Or at least I don't think they do."

Viola bit her lip, thinkin. "I don't know. I'll just keep reading, maybe your mom explains it all."

I nod, just barely, before she gets back to readin. "Neither one of us knew wut to do – not only had we blown half of the trees down, but all of my thoughts, all of my emotions, were just _out there _for him to see and hear. I wuz hysterical – if the explosion hadn't woken everyone up, my screamin shure did. That's when the eldest of our community came out, damn near dragged me up the hill, and explained to us wut was goin on."

"She said that the connection we had, how much we loved each other, was the reason behind our shared Noise. It wasn't something she'd ever seen or heard of before, but insisted that Noise was a powerful thing. If we loved the land, as well as each other enough, this was bound to happen. We were connected to the Land. We were connected to each other."

"So, maybe that's what it is." I say before Viola can go on. "You and me. We care about New World. We care about each other."

"It's got us connected." Viola finishes. Now, she's the one that's havin trouble with keepin her Noise calm.

"Let me finish readin." I say. She doesn't argue, just hands the book over.

"The Spackle told us that it be best if we stay away from each other." I read, instantly rememberin the time when me and Viola were told to stay away from each other, too. "She said that our Noise was dangerous, that if we had the power to cause a tiny explosion, we could do even more damage to the community. But both of us knew that couldn't happen – especially now that he knew about our boy. The Spackle sent us away, made us stay on opposite sides of the community, but we spoke to each other thru our Noise, without anyone else knowin. He wanted us to use our Noise to start a rebellion against the mayor, to get our son back. I didn't think it was the best idea – wut if we got hurt? Wut if other people got hurt? But he insisted that this was the right thing, said it like we were fated to do this. And no matter how much I didn't want to – I couldn't argue. I had to do this, for my son."

Viola gasps, and I stop readin. "So, they did the same thing as us. They tried to use Noise to start their own war."

"I guess so." I say, thinkin of how crazy it is that I followed in my ma and pa's footsteps without even knowin it. I gotta flip thru a couple blank pages before findin the next journal entry, which is only about a paragraph long. "Looks like this is the last one." I say, then read it.

"Today marks three months since the explosion. There's been talk throughout the community that the mayor and his army are hunting spackle, so for the past couple of weeks, my boy's father and I have lived away from the community to practice. We practice and practice and practice – and so far, control of our Noise has gotten better. So now, we watch and wait. When they finally do show up, we will attack with our Noise. Hopefully, if we take him down, we'll unite with our boy again, and he'll have this journal so that he kno's wut happened, kno's it better than I cud ever explain it-"

I stop readin. "There isn't anything left." I say to Viola, who looks over my shoulder to see for herself. "It stops right there."

Viola places a comforting hand on my back, cuz she and I both kno the reason my ma never got to finish the story –

She didn't make it.

Tears begin to fall onto my cheeks, and I wipe them away embarrassingly. Why did this surprise me, all of a sudden? I knew my ma wasn't alive anymore, I'd always known that. But readin about it, seein her words just stop, right there on the page – it made it feel so much more real.

Viola takes the journal from me, closes it up. "Are you okay?"

I nod, smile at her thru blurry eyes. "I'm fine."

"I wouldn't have made you read it if I'd known." She says, soundin guilty. I place my hand on top of hers.

"I wanted to kno. I needed to kno." I say. Viola don't say nothin else, but her Noise is askin a lot of questions. "Wut are yer thinkin?" I finally say.

"I just… I don't understand." She says. "You and I were successful with our Noise. We took out an entire _army. _If your parent's Noise was just as powerful, I don't see how they couldn't have won, either."

"Maybe they never learned how to use it the right way." I reason. "They didn't get much practice."

"They certainly got more than you and I." She says, then shakes her head. "I don't know.. something about this just doesn't seem right to me."

Viola gets to thinkin, which means her Noise is swirling around with all these crazy thoughts, and even tho I told her I was fine, I still don't feel like goin thru conspiracy theories with my ma and pa's death on my mind.

I interrupt her thinkin before it gets out of hand. "Viola. Yer overthinkin it."

"Am I?" She says, and I realize it wuz the wrong thing to say, cuz now she's gettin up to pace across the room. I sigh before rollin onto my back, watchin her from upside down. "Because I think it's obvious that the elder Spackle is keeping something from us."

"How so?" I ask.

Viola don't answer right away – she wants to make sure that wut she says next is correct. Finally, she stops in place, looks at me. "When we met with the older spackle, she told us that your mom's Noise is what killed her. When she was trying to fight off the mayor's army."

I nod in agreement, but that ain't enough for Viola, who's waitin for a real response. "Yer right. That's wut she said."

"But." Viola says, pacin again. "Your parents fled the spackle community. So.. how would the elder spackle have known their cause of death?"

It's a gud question, one that I don't have an answer to. "Maybe she followed them out there?"

"That's possible." Viola credits me. "But for what?"

Again, somethin I can't answer. "Maybe… they forgot somethin." 

I'm not sure wut made me joke like that – probably from all the emotions runnin rampant in my Noise. I laugh a little, but Viola only tilts her head. "Seriously, Todd. I feel like maybe the elder spackle was afraid of their Noise, intimidated by it. I feel like she-"

_Killed them._ I'm already readin it in her Noise, and don't want to hear it said out loud.

And not cuz of wut it meant for my parents.

But wut it cud mean _for us. _

"Viola." I say, my voice unsteady. "Yer getting ahead of yerself. The Spackle were harmless back then-"

"Until people started threatening them." She says. "And that's exactly what your parents did. Imagine if all couples were able to use their Noise like they did, like we do. We'd be even more powerful than the mayor and Eric combined, and then there would be nothing left of their species."

"Viola." I say with a sigh, then close my eyes, tryin to stay patient. "Yer can't say that to me. Yer can't say that someone else is tryin to kill us. Not after everything we just went thru." 

"But what if she is?" Viola says. She sits down beside me, takes my hand, pleadin for me to understand. Her Noise is guilty for bringin up our greatest fear, but also urgent, wantin to make sure it don't happen again. "I don't want to think about it either, Todd, but if we aren't safe here-"

"We _are _safe here." I say to her, with my eyes just as much as my words. "And we ain't leavin. All of our friends and family are here, and if anyone deserves to say, it's us. We ruddy fought for this place. My ma and pa gave up everythin so we cud have this chance. And even if she is out to get us – I'm not lettin anything happen to yer, Viola."

"But she won't see it that way, and you know it." Viola says to me. Now, it's her turn to start tearin up.

"Most of the spackle are able to co-exist with us, but the elder spackle – she sees this Land as theirs. With us being connected to it, having powerful Noise like we do – we're taking away from them what wasn't ours to begin with."

"Well, they can share." I say now. "None of us asked to be here, and we're all just tryin to make the best with what we can."

Viola huffs out a sigh before laying beside me again, still holdin onto my hand real tight. "I know you want to believe that everything is perfect now. But, it doesn't always work that way-"

"It's got to." I say, squeezing her hand. "I didn't promise yer anything other than that, Viola. So stop thinkin that we're gonna have to leave-"

"I'm not thinking that, Todd." 

"It's written all over yer Noise, Viola."

She looks down at our interlocked fingers, runs her thumb across my knuckles. "It was just a random thought. It would be better than having to separate."

"No one is makin us separate." I say, but she don't look convinced. Viola had a habit of doin that, of letting her thoughts spiral before she had a reason to. I felt my heart swell against my chest, seein how fragile and scared she looked, somethin I hadn't seen in a long time.

"Hey, Viola." I say, sittin up. "We got the whole day to ourselves. Wanna do something, just the two of us? We cud walk on the beach, skip rocks in the water. Just to clear our minds."

She kno's I'm only sayin it to get out to this conversation, but agrees, anyway. "Sure." Then, she gives me a small smile. "But you can't cheat with your Noise this time. You know I always throw further than you."

I laugh before standin, pullin Viola up with me. "I won't use my Noise, if yer can't handle bein a sore loser." I go to kiss her on the cheek, but she moves away.

"Really? I'm the sore loser?" she tells me. "Okay. We'll see about that."

I laugh just as she goes to grab her coat and boots, and it's right when I'm watchin her leave, a small bounce in her step, that I swear to myself that Viola won't lose her home. After everything that girl has been thru – leavin her scout ship, losin her parents, fightin for a place that she ain't even a part of – there is no way I cud watch her let it all go. I gotta surpress my Noise when she comes back to hand me my own coat and boots, but that doesn't change the plan I've already made on my own.

I had to talk to the elder Spackle.

I had to convince her that me, and more importantly, Viola –

Deserve to live in this world.

**Author's Note:** This chapter would not have happened without Garrett02's encouragement…thanks so much, my friend! I've been holed up in my bedroom reading so many novels to combat my writers block, but I'm really happy that I finally cranked this one out. Sometimes I feel like this story has gotten a little confusing, but honestly, who's judging? Happy reading, friends!


	41. Chapter 41

{Viola}

Todd did not play fair, like he promised.

"Hey! You're using your Noise again!" I shout at him, watching as he hurtles a pebble across the water. He's trying to be subtle about cheating, only using his Noise slightly, but he can't hide it from me. Todd smirks before winding his arm backwards, getting ready to throw another one, but I grab his bicep before he can.

"Stop cheating!" I say while laughing, turning him towards me.

"I ain't!" He says, trying to hide his smile but failing.

I narrow my eyes at him. "What you mean to say is, _I'm_ _not."_

Todd makes a face at me, offended at my attempt to correct his speech, but a smile soon stretches across his lips. "Exactly. _I'm not_ cheatin. Thanks for admittin that, Viola."

My mouth gapes at his comeback before I snatch the pebbles from his hand. "Fine. If you want to cheat, then so will I."

Todd laughs before reaching for my waist, attempting to hold me back, but I wiggle out of his grasp and run towards the tide. In one swift motion I extend my arm backwards, then let the pebble fly out of my palm, using my Noise to give it a boost. The pebble skids across the water, arching up, then back down, with a ray of light trailing behind it. The water ripples as the pebble makes contact with the waves, and it bounces off the water until we can't see it anymore.

"Okay, okay. You win." Todd says, and I'm shocked that he doesn't put up more of a fight.

"So that's it? You just let me have it?" I ask, and he nods.

"Yer havin fun." He says. "That's all that counts, right?"

And my cheeks flush, looking at Todd looking at me, and I am amazed at how, even after all this time, he can still make me feel so –

"Whatever. You're just trying to distract me." I say instead, shoving his shoulder.

"I'm not, actually." Todd says, truth coming from his Noise. "I never thought I'd admit this, but I can't keep up with you. So, just for today, I'll let yer have it."

I'd tease Todd some more if it weren't for his tired expression and the sheen of sweat on his forehead that indicated he was a little over worked. But it was peculiar, too, since throwing stones across the water wasn't the most strenuous activity. It isn't until I reach for my own face, touching my fingertips to my forehead, that I realize I'm sweating, too. I look up to the sky, not a cloud in sight, the sun high, it's rays blazing down on us.

"Hey, Todd?" I ask, just as he bends down to sit on the sand. "Is it… is it warmer today, to you?"

Todd contemplates my question before he's asking himself the same thing. "Now that you mention it, it kinda is. Wasn't like that when we left the house, tho."

"Not at all." I say, more so to myself. Now I'm taking off my scarf and jacket, letting them drop to the sand, and stand there in boots, pants, and a long sleeve shirt. It's still cool, a slight breeze blowing through my hair, but when it dies down, it is undeniably warm.

_Warm. _

"What ar yer doin?" Todd asks me, his eyes falling to my jacket.

"I don't need it." I say, rolling up my sleeves. "It's not that cold."

Todd stands up and takes off his jacket, too. "Yer kno how long it's been since it's felt like this?" He says, seeing the beach completely different after this new revelation.

"Ages." I answer. Then, I say the impossible thought that's running through my Noise. "Do you… do you think the Snowscape is ending?"

Todd thinks about it for a minute, then shrugs. "I hope so. I never got used to it bein cold. I'm ready for it to be over."

"Me too." I say. "Should we go back now? I wonder if anyone else has noticed it."

I sit down beside Todd and he smirks at me, shakes his head. "This is just like yer, Viola."

"What?"

"Worried about everyone else." He says, looking at me sincerely. "Ever since the war ended, you haven't quit doin that. Yer puttin in more hours at the hospital, helpin me figure out about my parents. Now yer wanna check on the settler's because it's _warmer _today."

I try to come up with an answer to defend myself, but I fall short. "Well, some of the settlers haven't experienced _the actual sun. _They were stuck on a ship for years before they got here."

"If they can handle half a year of a blizzard? They can handle a little sunlight."

I look away, knowing that Todd is right, and have to fight my urge to make some sort of speech or organize a get together with the council later on today.

"It's a natural thing for yer." Todd says, reading the concerns in my Noise. "But they don't need yer for everything anymore. And that's a good thing."

I look at Todd now, my eyes narrowed. "If nobody needs me anymore, then why am I the one picking up your clothes and shoes when you leave them in the middle of the living room floor?"

Now Todd is the one scrambling for words. "Well… that's different."

I make a face at him. "Really? And how's that?"

But he's saved from having to explain himself when we both hear Lee's Noise running up behind us.

"Hey, Todd! Viola!" he shouted. Todd stayed sitting down, unalarmed, but I jumped up to my feet.

"What's wrong?" I ask once he's in front of me.

"It's… Hildy… and Ben… they're looking for you two…" Lee doesn't finish his sentence as he bends over, panting with his hands on his knees. "Goodness, I'm really bent out of shape right now. When was the last time I actually ran for that long? Not fighting in a war has made me sort of lazy-"

Todd joins at my side now, smirking at Lee. "You alright, there?"

Lee stands up really quickly, pretending that he wasn't nearly falling over. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

"It's just… it was a long run over here. And I'm really hot, for some reason…."

"That's because it's warmer today." I tell him.

"Viola thinks that maybe the Snowscape is ending." Todd joins.

"Ending?" Lee thinks this over, then furrows his eyebrows. "Well, that's good, right? Why do you look so worried?"

He's talking to me, but Todd takes it upon himself to answer. "Because it's Viola. And she thinks the settlers are in danger of gettin a sunburn."

"One more joke, Todd." I say, giving him a piercing look. "You've got one more."

"Do yer actually want me to say it?" He asks, grinning. I only shake my head at him before turning my attention back to Lee.

"What is it you wanted to tell us?" I ask. "Something about Hildy and Ben?"

"Oh, yeah." Lee says, suddenly remembering. "Something happened at Wilf and Jane's place. Ben won't tell me what, he just sent for you two, and he said it wasn't _urgent_, but that you should probably get there real soon. Like _now._"

"Aint that what urgent means?" Todd asks, but a slight panic rises in my Noise, and without warning, I'm picking up my things and jogging up the beach towards the settlement.

…

Nothing has to be explained to me, Todd, or Lee once we make it to Wilf and Jane's house – the fire and smoke that's rising from the roof is all we need to tell us what's wrong. We push through a small crowd of onlookers until we make it to Ben, who stood watching the house burn down with an arm draped around Jane's shoulder. She cried into his chest, something I'd never before seen her do, not even during the war, and the scariest thought comes to my mind –

What has happened to Wilf?

_**Ben! **_I shout with my Noise, running up to him, Todd and Lee following behind me. Ben and Jane both turn around. _**What happened? Where's Wilf?**_

_**Please tell me he ain't still inside. **_Todd said, his Noise as concerned as mine. We both look to Jane, hoping that she'd tell us, but she couldn't so much as say a word through her crying.

_**Wilf is fine. **_Ben finally said, and we both exhaled, relieved. _**Mistress Lawson is seeing to him at the house of healing. **_

_**What happened? **_I ask, my eyes darting from Jane to the house. A mixed group of settlers and Spackle were doing their best to put it out, but still, the flames were aggressive, swallowing the house whole. There was no way their home would survive this catastrophe, and even though I, as well as Todd, were prepared to help them rebuild, there was nothing like losing your home. My heart, as well as my Noise, ached for her.

_**It's going to sound crazy, Viola. **_Ben started, looking to Jane for confirmation to tell. _**But remember the explosion between you and Todd? When your Noise collided?**_

I nod.

_**Jane… believes that's what happened here. Between her and Wilf. **_

I furrow my eyebrows, then look to Jane. "Jane? Is that true?"

Finally, she seemed to have the courage to speak. "I have never in my life felt somethin' like that before. Wilf had only told me a _joke_, it wasn't even that funny. But we shared a laugh fer quite a bit of time, and then he hugged me, told me he loved me, and I said it back, and it was like something had punched me in the gut, sent me back flyin, and there was this light, and then I woke up in the snow, and smoke wuz everywhere, and the house in flames, and Wilf…"

"Wilf what?" I ask, before she starts crying again.

"He wuz unconscious. They took em back to the house of healin, and I tried to go wit em, but they said I had to stay away, else we'd cause another explosion, bein near each other."

_**They got Noise together. **_Todd said, only to me. He didn't sound concerned, but he wasn't exactly cheerful, either.

"Jane – are you hurt at all?" I ask her, the only thing I knew to say in the moment. "Because if you are, I can tend to you while Wilf is at the house of healing."

"No, I ain't hurt." She says. "Just, worked up."

I nod, understanding that more than she knew. "Why don't you sit down, then. Lee, can you find her some water?"

"Sure." He says, jogging off.

I took it upon myself to take Jane's hand, leading her away from Todd and Ben, who'd already gotten to chatting with each other with their Noise. Away from the crowd, I laid out my jacket on a thin layer of snow, so thin that you could actually see the grass peeking through, and offered for her to sit.

"What do you feel right now, Jane?" I ask her, sitting on my knees beside her. There was a very strong chance that if she and Wilf created that explosion, she had Noise now. The second of their group.

"Nothin." She says, staring at the ground. "Just nervous, figedty. Wut's gonna happen to Wilf?"

"He's okay." I tell her. "This same thing happened to me and Todd. Our Noise, when it gets overwhelmed, it'll do that."

Jane looks at me, then, concern all over her face. "But, I ain't got Noise, Viola. Women don't have it."

"I have it." I tell her. "It's possible for us."

"But _how?_"

It was a question that I still didn't have an answer to, but felt even more compelled to figure out, especially if more women were going to turn up with Noise. Not too many people were coupled up in our group, but the settlers definitely had their own couples, families.

"I don't know yet." I tell her. "From what I've learned so far, Noise is connected to the land, and the land is connected to men. Women, somehow, can have Noise too, if we share that same bond with someone else. It's vague, I know-"

"So, yer tellin me, that cuz Wilf has Noise, and cuz we love each other-"

"Yes." I say, finishing her sentence. "You could have Noise, too."

Lee finally came over with a cup of water for Jane, and I was glad for it, as it looked like she needed a break from the conversation for now. She thanked Lee before taking a few sips, then asked, "When can I see him?"

"I don't know." I tell Jane. "But you won't be a part forever. Todd and I had to learn how to control our Noise. We'd be more than happy to show you."

Jane gave me a grateful look. "Wut wud we do without you, Viola?"

I gave her a simple smile, trying my hardest to hide my nervousness, just in case she was developing Noise. Soon, Todd is walking up, already asking me to join him before he gets there.

"I'll come check on you in a little while, Jane." I say, then stand up to meet Todd halfway.

"Yer alright?" He asks me.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I say. "But we've got to do something for them, Todd."

"Viola-" He starts, already reading the idea in my Noise.

"They've gotta move in with us."

Todd huffs a sigh, runs his hands through his hair. "Yer don't think that's risky?"

"It could be. But they're gonna need help controlling their Noise, and we're the only ones who can teach them."

Todd still looks hesitant – not because he doesn't want to help, but because he's worried about me.

"It'll be fine, Todd."

"And you?" He asks.

But what did it matter how I felt? I was the only woman in our settlement with Noise, the only one who could understand what she's going through.

"It won't be easy." I start. "But it won't be impossible either. Besides, if I could save _you _in a war-"

"Hey now." Todd says, picking up on my joking tone. "You didn't do that _all _by yerself-"

"I mostly did." I say, before turning to a more serious tone. "But what about you, Todd? We never actually got to finish our conversation about the elder spackle-"

Todd shook his head no, lowered his gaze to the ground before kicking it with his boot. "No, it's fine. We can talk about it another time."

But I'd gotten used to his Noise by now, and could tell that something was off.

Author's Note: Oh, how I've missed writing this story. This summer has been so crazy (the real life chaos walking, should I say?) and my immediate way to cope was to hole up in my room, read lengthy novels, watch tons of a24 movies, and constantly listen to 70s soft rock. I started this chapter a few months ago and intended for it to be longer but I didn't have much motivation to finishing writing it – so I'm posting it as is! This story will continue, I promise you guys, and I'm so sorry it's taken so long to update. Also, WE ARE GETTING CLOSER TO THE CHAOS WALKING MOVIE TRAILER! I know you're all just as excited as I am!

Please stay safe, healthy, and wonderful my friends!


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